--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And the evil wish is most evil to the…" description: "\"And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.\" — Hesiod" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg" --- # And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher. ![“And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.” quote by Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg) > “And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.” [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil wishes harm both the target and the one who wishes them. **In simple terms:** Wishing evil hurts the wisher. Key Takeaway Avoid harboring malicious desires. Themes morality self‑harm intentions Mood cautionary reflective Type mythological philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution Key Concepts Karma ethical consequences Questions to Reflect On - Why do we sometimes wish ill on others? - How can we transform negative intentions? A Different Perspective Even benign‑seeming wishes can have hidden costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-wish-1846684/) [Evil Wisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-wisher-3989542/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Wish Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-evil-3135857/) ## Related quotes > [“That would be the greatest misfortune of all! -- To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! -- Do not wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-would-be-the-greatest-misfortune-of-all-to-find-a-man-agreeable/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Heaven forbid! -- That would be the greatest misfortune of all! -- To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/heaven-forbid-that-would-be-the-greatest-misfortune-of-all-to-find-a/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Do not wish evil for others. Do not speak ill of others. Do not obstruct anyones activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/do-not-wish-evil-for-others-do-not-speak-ill-of-others-do-not/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [To do nothing evil is good; to wish nothing evil is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudius/to-do-nothing-evil-is-good-to-wish-nothing-evil-is-better/) [Claudius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudius/) > [“Wasn't it evil to wish without moving- or to move without aim?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/wasn-t-it-evil-to-wish-without-moving-or-to-move-without-aim/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The evil we wish for another seems to have a rebound effect. The same is true for the good that we wish for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/the-evil-we-wish-for-another-seems-to-have-a-rebound-effect-the-same/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [What greater evil could you wish a miser, than long life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-greater-evil-could-you-wish-a-miser-than-long-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/death-is-not-the-worst-evil-but-rather-when-we-wish-to-die-and-cannot/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [I belive power can be used for good, I don't think every form of power is absolute evil. I wish I would have stepped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-belive-power-can-be-used-for-good-i-don-t-think-every-form-of-power/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [If you speak evil, you will soon be worse spoken of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/if-you-speak-evil-you-will-soon-be-worse-spoken-of/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Oh dear," said Sarah anxiously, "I do wish he wouldn't do these silly things." I'm sure we all wish that, Sarah," said Marcia sternly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-sage/oh-dear-said-sarah-anxiously-i-do-wish-he-wouldn-t-do-these-silly/) [Angie Sage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-sage/) > [Half-instructed confessors have done my soul great harm; for I could not always have such learned ones as I would have desired. They certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/half-instructed-confessors-have-done-my-soul-great-harm-for-i-could/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## More by Hesiod > [Gain not base gains; base gains are the same as losses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/gain-not-base-gains-base-gains-are-the-same-as-losses/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Aegis-bearing Zeus has a design for each occasion, and mortals find this hard to comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/aegis-bearing-zeus-has-a-design-for-each-occasion-and-mortals-find/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The best is he who calls men to the best. And those who heed the call are also blessed. But worthless who call not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-best-is-he-who-calls-men-to-the-best-and-those-who-heed-the-call/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [If you speak evil, you will soon be worse spoken of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/if-you-speak-evil-you-will-soon-be-worse-spoken-of/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man, Inhibition, which does men great harm and great good. Inhibition attaches to poverty, boldness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/inhibition-is-no-good-provider-for-a-needy-man-inhibition-which-does/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Potter is jealous of potter, and craftsman of craftsman; and the poor have a grudge against the poor, and the poet against the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/potter-is-jealous-of-potter-and-craftsman-of-craftsman-and-the-poor/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Preserve the mean; the opportune moment is best in all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/preserve-the-mean-the-opportune-moment-is-best-in-all-things/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The potter is at enmity with the potter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-potter-is-at-enmity-with-the-potter/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [But he who neither thinks for himself nor learns from others, is a failure as a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/but-he-who-neither-thinks-for-himself-nor-learns-from-others-is-a/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Justice prevails over transgression when she comes to the end of the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/justice-prevails-over-transgression-when-she-comes-to-the-end-of-the/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [“It is best to work, at whatever you have a talent for doing, without turning your greedy thought toward what some other man possesses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/it-is-best-to-work-at-whatever-you-have-a-talent-for-doing-without/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/i-see-no-hope-for-the-future-of-our-people-if-they-are-dependent-on/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/do-not-let-a-flattering-woman-coax-and-wheedle-you-and-deceive-you/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [In the race for wealth, a neighbor tries to outdo his neighbor, but this strife is good for men. For the potter envies potter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/in-the-race-for-wealth-a-neighbor-tries-to-outdo-his-neighbor-but/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The Gods rank work above virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-gods-rank-work-above-virtues/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) [Explore all 146 Hesiod quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hesiod" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wisher/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wisher/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/hesiod-2889_evil_and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wi_2069558.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.” — Hesiod", "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": "Hesiod", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And the evil wish is most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wisher/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/and-the-evil-wish-is-most-evil-to-the-wisher/#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 } } ] } ```