--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every evil deed, every example of…" description: "\"“Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me” as distinct from everything else.”\" — Henep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png" --- # Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the… ![“Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me” as distinct from everything else.” quote by Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png) > ““Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me” as distinct from everything else.”” [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑centered identity fuels cruelty; recognizing interdependence reduces harm. **In simple terms:** Ego causes cruelty. Key Takeaway Cultivate a sense of oneness. Themes compassion ego interdependence Mood reflective serene Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - education - mental health Key Concepts Buddhist ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What practices lessen self‑attachment? - How can societies promote collective identity? A Different Perspective Overcoming deep‑seated ego is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heartlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartlessness/) ## Related quotes > [I loathe the urchin's cruelty to the cat, but I will not loathe the urchin. I loathe Hitler's mass-torturing, but not Hitler; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/i-loathe-the-urchin-s-cruelty-to-the-cat-but-i-will-not-loathe-the/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [We feared the heartlessness of human beings, all of whom are born blind, few of whom ever learn to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/we-feared-the-heartlessness-of-human-beings-all-of-whom-are-born/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“...hers was the heartlessness of poverty, which, it seemed to me, is different from the heartlessness of wealth. p 290”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-huyler/hers-was-the-heartlessness-of-poverty-which-it-seemed-to-me-is/) [Frank Huyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-huyler/) > [In life's journey, you will meet all sorts of characters. Always remember, never shed a tear for the heartless, corrupt or insensitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-life-s-journey-you-will-meet-all-sorts-of-characters-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We disliked the rigours of existence, the unfulfilled longings, the enshrined injustices of the world, the labyrinths of love, the ignorance of parents, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-disliked-the-rigours-of-existence-the-unfulfilled-longings-the/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [For total greed, rapacity, heartlessness, and irresponsibility there is nothing to match a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/for-total-greed-rapacity-heartlessness-and-irresponsibility-there-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [We call the beautiful the highest, because it appears to us the golden mean, escaping the dowdiness of the good and the heartlessness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-call-the-beautiful-the-highest-because-it-appears-to-us-the-golden/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“I don't think I am heartless. Do you?' 'You have done too many foolish things during the last fortnight to be entitled to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-think-i-am-heartless-do-you-you-have-done-too-many-foolish/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [By this curious turn of disposition I have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; how undeserved, I alone can appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/by-this-curious-turn-of-disposition-i-have-gained-the-reputation-of/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [When you have large-scale legitimated violence in a place that is divided as profoundly and bitterly as Kentucky was, the legitimate violence can cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/when-you-have-large-scale-legitimated-violence-in-a-place-that-is/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The Eugenic optimism seems to partake generally of the nature of that dazzled and confused confidence, so common in private theatricals, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-eugenic-optimism-seems-to-partake-generally-of-the-nature-of-that/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“You must know,’ said Estella, condescending to me as a beautiful and brilliant woman might, ‘that I have no heart—if that has anything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/you-must-know-said-estella-condescending-to-me-as-a-beautiful-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“mnY reason of b"kup, but it hurts moRe when you don"t know evN a single-1. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumit-choudhary-c2/mny-reason-of-b-kup-but-it-hurts-more-when-you-don-t-know-evn-a/) Sumit Ð choudhary c2 > [Fashionable women regard themselves, and are regarded by men, as pretty toys or as mere instruments of pleasure; and the vacuity of mind, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moore-grimke/fashionable-women-regard-themselves-and-are-regarded-by-men-as-pretty/) [Sarah Moore Grimke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moore-grimke/) > [“It amazes me how as beings in an unpredictable world, how we glorify our brothers falling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xela-ffonrims/it-amazes-me-how-as-beings-in-an-unpredictable-world-how-we-glorify/) Xela Ffonrims ## More by Henepola Gunaratana > [You can only have bliss if you don't chase it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/you-can-only-have-bliss-if-you-don-t-chase-it/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [“we try mentally to grab onto it or push it away. That sets the worry response in motion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/we-try-mentally-to-grab-onto-it-or-push-it-away-that-sets-the-worry/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [You can learn not to want what you want, to recognize desires but not be controlled by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/you-can-learn-not-to-want-what-you-want-to-recognize-desires-but-not/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [The Buddha's message was simple but profound. Neither a life of self-indulgence nor one of self-mortification can bring happiness. Only a middle path, avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/the-buddha-s-message-was-simple-but-profound-neither-a-life-of-self/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [Mindfulness helps us freeze the frame so that we can become aware of our sensations and experiences as they are, without the distorting coloration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/mindfulness-helps-us-freeze-the-frame-so-that-we-can-become-aware-of/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [But look within and watch the stuff coming up-restlessness, anxiety, impatience, pain-just watch it come up and don't get involved. Much to your surprise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/but-look-within-and-watch-the-stuff-coming-up-restlessness-anxiety/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [“You can learn to perceive your life as an ever-flowing movement. You can learn to see the continuous flow of all conditioned”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/you-can-learn-to-perceive-your-life-as-an-ever-flowing-movement-you/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [No problem. You are not crazier than you were yesterday. It has always been this way, and you just never noticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/no-problem-you-are-not-crazier-than-you-were-yesterday-it-has-always/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [“We spend all of our energies trying to make ourselves feel better, trying to bury our fears, endlessly seeking security.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/we-spend-all-of-our-energies-trying-to-make-ourselves-feel-better/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [Peace is not a thought, not a concept; it is a nonverbal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/peace-is-not-a-thought-not-a-concept-it-is-a-nonverbal-experience/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [You can't ever get everything you want. It is impossible. Luckily, there is another option: You can learn to control your mind, to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/you-can-t-ever-get-everything-you-want-it-is-impossible-luckily-there/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [Whatever attitudes we habitually use toward ourselves, we will use on others, and whatever attitudes we habitually use toward others, we will use on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/whatever-attitudes-we-habitually-use-toward-ourselves-we-will-use-on/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [When you have learned compassion for yourself, compassion for others is automatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/when-you-have-learned-compassion-for-yourself-compassion-for-others/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [“There is no clinging to the pleasant, no fleeing from the unpleasant. Mindfulness treats all experiences equally, all thoughts equally, all feelings equally. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/there-is-no-clinging-to-the-pleasant-no-fleeing-from-the-unpleasant/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) > [“Place no head above your own.” By this he meant, don’t just accept somebody else’s word. See for yourself. We want you to apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/place-no-head-above-your-own-by-this-he-meant-don-t-just-accept/) [Henepola Gunaratana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) [Explore all 65 Henepola Gunaratana quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/) ## More Heartlessness quotes > [I loathe the urchin's cruelty to the cat, but I will not loathe the urchin. I loathe Hitler's mass-torturing, but not Hitler; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/i-loathe-the-urchin-s-cruelty-to-the-cat-but-i-will-not-loathe-the/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [Fashionable women regard themselves, and are regarded by men, as pretty toys or as mere instruments of pleasure; and the vacuity of mind, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moore-grimke/fashionable-women-regard-themselves-and-are-regarded-by-men-as-pretty/) [Sarah Moore Grimke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moore-grimke/) > [“mnY reason of b"kup, but it hurts moRe when you don"t know evN a single-1. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumit-choudhary-c2/mny-reason-of-b-kup-but-it-hurts-more-when-you-don-t-know-evn-a/) Sumit Ð choudhary c2 > [“You must know,’ said Estella, condescending to me as a beautiful and brilliant woman might, ‘that I have no heart—if that has anything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/you-must-know-said-estella-condescending-to-me-as-a-beautiful-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The Eugenic optimism seems to partake generally of the nature of that dazzled and confused confidence, so common in private theatricals, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-eugenic-optimism-seems-to-partake-generally-of-the-nature-of-that/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [When you have large-scale legitimated violence in a place that is divided as profoundly and bitterly as Kentucky was, the legitimate violence can cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/when-you-have-large-scale-legitimated-violence-in-a-place-that-is/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [By this curious turn of disposition I have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; how undeserved, I alone can appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/by-this-curious-turn-of-disposition-i-have-gained-the-reputation-of/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [“I don't think I am heartless. Do you?' 'You have done too many foolish things during the last fortnight to be entitled to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-think-i-am-heartless-do-you-you-have-done-too-many-foolish/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [We call the beautiful the highest, because it appears to us the golden mean, escaping the dowdiness of the good and the heartlessness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-call-the-beautiful-the-highest-because-it-appears-to-us-the-golden/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [For total greed, rapacity, heartlessness, and irresponsibility there is nothing to match a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/for-total-greed-rapacity-heartlessness-and-irresponsibility-there-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [We disliked the rigours of existence, the unfulfilled longings, the enshrined injustices of the world, the labyrinths of love, the ignorance of parents, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-disliked-the-rigours-of-existence-the-unfulfilled-longings-the/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [In life's journey, you will meet all sorts of characters. Always remember, never shed a tear for the heartless, corrupt or insensitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-life-s-journey-you-will-meet-all-sorts-of-characters-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...hers was the heartlessness of poverty, which, it seemed to me, is different from the heartlessness of wealth. p 290”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-huyler/hers-was-the-heartlessness-of-poverty-which-it-seemed-to-me-is/) [Frank Huyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-huyler/) > [We feared the heartlessness of human beings, all of whom are born blind, few of whom ever learn to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/we-feared-the-heartlessness-of-human-beings-all-of-whom-are-born/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“It amazes me how as beings in an unpredictable world, how we glorify our brothers falling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xela-ffonrims/it-amazes-me-how-as-beings-in-an-unpredictable-world-how-we-glorify/) Xela Ffonrims [Browse all 19 Heartlessness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartlessness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me” as distinct from everything else.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henepola Gunaratana" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartlessness-in-the-world-stems/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heartlessness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartlessness-in-the-world-stems/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/henepola-gunaratana-10550_heartlessness_every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartle_1627032.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me”…” — Henepola Gunaratana", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henepola Gunaratana", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henepola-gunaratana/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every evil deed, every example of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartlessness-in-the-world-stems/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henepola-gunaratana/every-evil-deed-every-example-of-heartlessness-in-the-world-stems/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```