Assuming Quote by Hannah Arendt
“As witnesses not of our intentions but of our conduct, we can be true or false, and the hypocrite's crime is that he bears false witness against himself. What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one. Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt, 1958
Integrity is rare; hypocrisy hides falsehood within, revealing deeper evil than overt crime.
In simple terms: Hypocrisy masks true evil, deeper than obvious crime.
Key Takeaway
Guard against self‑deception.
Themes
ethics
integrity
hypocrisy
political philosophy
human nature
Mood
critical
serious
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- personal ethics
- political analysis
- leadership training
Key Concepts
Moral psychology
radical evil
self‑knowledge
Questions to Reflect On
- What signs reveal hidden hypocrisy?
- How can societies foster genuine integrity?
A Different Perspective
Self‑deception can be subtle and hard to detect.
![“That's why we had Louis C.K. portray the harder line Communist, to accuse [Dalton] Trumbo of being a hypocrite.” quote by Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bfe/jay-roach-8154_being-a-hypocrite_that-s-why-we-had-louis-c-k-portray-the_34406.jpg)
