Accepted Quote by Franz Kafka
“When one has once accepted and absorbed Evil, it no longer demands the unfitness of the means. The ulterior motives with which youabsorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil… Evil is whatever distracts. Evil knows of the Good, but Good does not know of Evil. Knowledge of oneself is something only Evil has. One means that Evil has is the dialogue… One cannot pay Evil in installments--and one always keeps on trying to.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Trial by Franz Kafka, 1925
Accepting evil as a given removes its moral urgency, making it a tool rather than a threat, but this blurs self‑knowledge.
In simple terms: Seeing evil as normal dulls its moral impact.
Key Takeaway
Question the moral cost of evil.
Themes
morality
identity
power
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political analysis
- personal growth
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to “absorb” evil?
- How can you retain moral clarity when confronting evil?
A Different Perspective
Normalizing evil can lead to complacency and loss of agency.
![“Since unfortunately we cannot, I believe, spare [our children] the shocking truth about the century of the 'mystery of evil,' knowledge that is even beyond the endurance of adults, let us proceed cautiously so that the knowledge will not damage them but will, like a vaccination, immunize them…” quote by Bogdan Michalski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/10b/bogdan-michalski-121545_children_since-unfortunately-we-cannot-i-believe_1287088.jpg)
![“The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how [to] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand times [I'd] rather be torn to pieces than rather it in me or bury it. That, indeed, is why I am here, that is quite clear to me.” quote by Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f19/franz-kafka-214_freedom_the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-he_5848.jpg)
![“We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. [This is] mythology rather than science.” quote by Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c31/robert-shapiro-26969_accepted_we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theo_19120.jpg)
