--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Badness you can get easily, in quantity…" description: "\"Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is smooth, and it lies close by, But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and lon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg" --- # Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is… ![“Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is smooth, and it lies close by, But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it.” quote by Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg) > “Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is smooth, and it lies close by, But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it.” [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. Excellence demands hard work and perseverance, unlike easy but abundant badness that lies nearby. **In simple terms:** Greatness requires effort; mediocrity is easy. Key Takeaway Embrace struggle to achieve excellence. Themes ethics effort excellence hardship Mood determined inspired Type motivational practical When to use this quote - career advancement - athletic training - academic study - personal development Key Concepts virtue self‑discipline goal‑setting resilience Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles might you face on the path to excellence? - How can you sustain motivation during steep challenges? A Different Perspective Hard work may not guarantee success due to external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) ## Related quotes > [In front of excellence, the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/in-front-of-excellence-the-immortal-gods-have-put-sweat-and-long-and/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Badness you can get easily, in quantity. The road is smooth and lies close by. But in front of excellence the immortal gods have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-the-road-is-smooth-and-lies/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [“Life is sometimes like a treacherous mountain road with deep ruts, dangerous curves, and deadly ravines. If you have ever traveled in remote areas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rohrmayer/life-is-sometimes-like-a-treacherous-mountain-road-with-deep-ruts/) [Gary Rohrmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rohrmayer/) > [“I’m sending my messenger on ahead    To make the road smooth for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-sending-my-messenger-on-ahead-to-make-the-road-smooth-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“America has quietly, for years, been moving down the road taken by so many others before, a road that seems so even and smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-christensen/america-has-quietly-for-years-been-moving-down-the-road-taken-by-so/) [Andreas Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-christensen/) > [“It is better to travel on the rough right road than smooth wrong way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-better-to-travel-on-the-rough-right-road-than-smooth-wrong-way/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It is not designed that the road should be made too smooth for us here upon earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/it-is-not-designed-that-the-road-should-be-made-too-smooth-for-us/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/before-the-gates-of-excellence-the-high-gods-have-placed-sweat-long/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Evil can be got very easily and exists in quantity: the road to her is very smooth, and she lives near by. But between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/evil-can-be-got-very-easily-and-exists-in-quantity-the-road-to-her-is/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [“They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? If lewdies are good that's because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/they-don-t-go-into-what-is-the-cause-of-goodness-so-why-of-the-other/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-first-link-between-my-soul-and-christ-is-not-my-goodness-but-my/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“If you have had a bad day, remember that tomorrow is a wonderful gift and a new chance to try again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/if-you-have-had-a-bad-day-remember-that-tomorrow-is-a-wonderful-gift/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [A man of bad character punishes his own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ghazali/a-man-of-bad-character-punishes-his-own-soul/) [Al-Ghazali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ghazali/) > [I think when you don't know where you stand with someone, they can surprise you in their goodness and their badness, and that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-think-when-you-don-t-know-where-you-stand-with-someone-they-can/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [You don't have to be a good person to be a good writer--history shows it's better if you're not--but you have to understand your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abrahams/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-good-person-to-be-a-good-writer-history-shows/) [Peter Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abrahams/) ## 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 Badness quotes > [You don't have to be a good person to be a good writer--history shows it's better if you're not--but you have to understand your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abrahams/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-good-person-to-be-a-good-writer-history-shows/) [Peter Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abrahams/) > [I think when you don't know where you stand with someone, they can surprise you in their goodness and their badness, and that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-think-when-you-don-t-know-where-you-stand-with-someone-they-can/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [A man of bad character punishes his own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ghazali/a-man-of-bad-character-punishes-his-own-soul/) [Al-Ghazali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ghazali/) > [“If you have had a bad day, remember that tomorrow is a wonderful gift and a new chance to try again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/if-you-have-had-a-bad-day-remember-that-tomorrow-is-a-wonderful-gift/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-first-link-between-my-soul-and-christ-is-not-my-goodness-but-my/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? If lewdies are good that's because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/they-don-t-go-into-what-is-the-cause-of-goodness-so-why-of-the-other/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“But the greatest cause of verbicide is the fact that most people are obviously far more anxious to express their approval and disapproval of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-the-greatest-cause-of-verbicide-is-the-fact-that-most-people-are/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [A bad man can do a million times more harm than a beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/a-bad-man-can-do-a-million-times-more-harm-than-a-beast/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All the best of the monsters played for sympathy. That goes for my father, Karloff, myself and all the others. They all won the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-chaney-jr/all-the-best-of-the-monsters-played-for-sympathy-that-goes-for-my/) Lon Chaney, Jr > [Before you^say something Bad to^others ask your-self^why are^you the only one saw^the badness and-->](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-d-r-l-testament/before-you-say-something-bad-to-others-ask-your-self-why-are-you-the/) Junior Dè Rèál Testament > [The Bible is one long story of God meeting our rebellion with His rescue, our sin with His salvation, our guilt with His grace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/the-bible-is-one-long-story-of-god-meeting-our-rebellion-with-his/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [When you've been afraid of something for long enough and it comes to pass, the terrible thing is a release. For in the belly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/when-you-ve-been-afraid-of-something-for-long-enough-and-it-comes-to/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [It is possible that the contemplation of cruelty will not make us humane but cruel; that the reiteration of the badness of our spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-trilling/it-is-possible-that-the-contemplation-of-cruelty-will-not-make-us/) [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) > [Is this how you repay my goodness--with badness?” cried the boy. “Of course,” said the crocodile out of the corner of his mouth. “That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/is-this-how-you-repay-my-goodness-with-badness-cried-the-boy-of/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [“I decide a book is bad if I get angrier and angrier as I read it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-t-o-hara/i-decide-a-book-is-bad-if-i-get-angrier-and-angrier-as-i-read-it/) Daniel T. O'Hara Browse all 124 Badness quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is smooth, and it lies close by, But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hesiod" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-the-road-is-smooth-and-it-lies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Badness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-the-road-is-smooth-and-it-lies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/hesiod-2889_badness_badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-t_829033.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Badness you can get easily, in quantity; the road is smooth, and it lies close by, But in front of…” — 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": "Badness you can get easily, in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-the-road-is-smooth-and-it-lies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/badness-you-can-get-easily-in-quantity-the-road-is-smooth-and-it-lies/#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 } } ] } ```