--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is indeed my opinion now that evil is…" description: "\"It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,” that it is only extreme, and that it possess neither depth nor any demonic dimension. It can ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/hannah-arendt-610_banality_it-is-indeed-my-opinion-now-that-evil-is_1576651.jpg" --- # It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,”… ![“It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,” that it is only extreme, and that it possess neither depth nor any demonic dimension. It can overgrow and lay waste the whole world precisely because it spreads like fungus on the surface. It is “thought-defying,” as I said, because thought…” quote by Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/hannah-arendt-610_banality_it-is-indeed-my-opinion-now-that-evil-is_1576651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/hannah-arendt-610_banality_it-is-indeed-my-opinion-now-that-evil-is_1576651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/hannah-arendt-610_banality_it-is-indeed-my-opinion-now-that-evil-is_1576651.jpg) > “It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,” that it is only extreme, and that it possess neither depth nor any demonic dimension. It can overgrow and lay waste the whole world precisely because it spreads like fungus on the surface. It is “thought-defying,” as I said, because thought tries to reach some depth, to go to the roots, and the moment it concerns itself with evil, it is frustrated because there is nothing. That is its “banality.” Only the good has depth and can be radical.” [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil lacks depth and is merely superficial, spreading like a fungus without true substance, while goodness possesses depth and can be radical. **In simple terms:** Evil is shallow; good has depth. Key Takeaway Recognize the superficial nature of evil. Themes philosophy ethics political theory Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political analysis - education - media criticism Key Concepts Banality of evil radical good depth vs surface Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing evil's banality affect moral action? - Can good be truly radical without depth? A Different Perspective Evil may appear pervasive but lacks true substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demonic/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Dimensions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Fungi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fungi/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“A more subtle misconception is that of a hypostasis of evil as indestructible reality, a kind of primal scene, a sort of substratum of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/a-more-subtle-misconception-is-that-of-a-hypostasis-of-evil-as/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [I have a controversial opinion about evil, because I don't believe evil exists. I believe that actions are dark and destructive but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-salva/i-have-a-controversial-opinion-about-evil-because-i-don-t-believe/) [Victor Salva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-salva/) > [ \[About Eichmann:\] It was as though in those last minutes he was summing up the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/about-eichmann-it-was-as-though-in-those-last-minutes-he-was-summing/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“Evil comes from a failure to think. It defies thought for as soon as thought tries to engage itself with evil and examine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/evil-comes-from-a-failure-to-think-it-defies-thought-for-as-soon-as/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“If certain bacteria, fungi, or algae inch across something made of copper, they absorb copper atoms, which disrupt their metabolism (human cells are unaffected).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/if-certain-bacteria-fungi-or-algae-inch-across-something-made-of/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [Sometimes I worry I'm not going to be the best parent because if my baby gets a skin fungus I might sell him at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/sometimes-i-worry-i-m-not-going-to-be-the-best-parent-because-if-my/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [Right-thinking people are not supposed to discuss any meteorological or geophysical event - a hurricane, a wildfire, a heat wave, a drought, a flood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/right-thinking-people-are-not-supposed-to-discuss-any-meteorological/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [It's also hard for people to contend with the difficult possibility that we are simply overadvanced fungi and bacteria hurtling through a galaxy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/it-s-also-hard-for-people-to-contend-with-the-difficult-possibility/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [...no matter how complex or affluent, human societies are nothing but subsystems of the biosphere, the Earth's thin veneer of life, which is ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/no-matter-how-complex-or-affluent-human-societies-are-nothing-but/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [I had always believed government was not a fungus: It could survive in sunshine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/i-had-always-believed-government-was-not-a-fungus-it-could-survive-in/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [It is a thorough process, this war with the wilderness - breaking nature, taming the soil. feeding it on oats. The civilized man regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-a-thorough-process-this-war-with-the-wilderness-breaking-nature/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Fungi have as much right to life as I do. they know what they want, Bill. Damned if I do anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/fungi-have-as-much-right-to-life-as-i-do-they-know-what-they-want/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [So there you have it: Nature is a rotten mess. But that's only the beginning. If you take your eyes off it for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goldberg/so-there-you-have-it-nature-is-a-rotten-mess-but-that-s-only-the/) [Lee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goldberg/) > [Why did the mushroom go to the party? Because he's a fungi!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-the-mushroom-go-to-the-party-because-he-s-a-fungi/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Hannah Arendt > [“It means, first, that everything that appears in public can be seen and heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity. 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Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [“A plain circular bullet is widely disdained for its banality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-de-bartolo/a-plain-circular-bullet-is-widely-disdained-for-its-banality/) Carolina de Bartolo > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. 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