--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: everyone has a capacity for evil. And…" description: "\"“everyone has a capacity for evil. And we’ve all seen it, and done it, even if we think we haven’t—there’s the slight in conversation that wounds anoth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png" --- # everyone has a capacity for evil. And we’ve all seen it… ![“everyone has a capacity for evil. And we’ve all seen it, and done it, even if we think we haven’t—there’s the slight in conversation that wounds another person, the words we know will cause pain to a loved one but we utter them anyway, and the unkindness that could have been avoided. But then…” quote by Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png) > ““everyone has a capacity for evil. And we’ve all seen it, and done it, even if we think we haven’t—there’s the slight in conversation that wounds another person, the words we know will cause pain to a loved one but we utter them anyway, and the unkindness that could have been avoided. But then there are people in another league, if you will, people who are capable of so much more, who harbor an evil so deep it scars all our souls. That kind of darkness can lie dormant, as if in a barren desert, but then . . . but then circumstances change to allow their evil to become truly, truly terrible, a boiling storm that encompasses all in its wake.” She pressed her hand to her eyes and fought to stop her voice cracking. “And though I knew what I was walking into, it seems that in coming here I fear that I have seen the tip of an iceberg, a mountain of opportunity for evil to envelop the people not only in this country but far beyond her borders.”” [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil can be dormant but may erupt under certain conditions, affecting many. **In simple terms:** Evil can awaken under pressure. Key Takeaway Recognize and mitigate conditions that enable harm. Themes evil human nature power dynamics Mood cautious somber Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - political leadership - corporate culture - online communities - conflict zones Key Concepts psychology social influence Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate rising harmful behavior? - How can societies prevent dormant evil from surfacing? 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But then there are people in another league, if you will, people who are capable of so much more, who harbor an evil so deep it scars all our souls. That kind of darkness can lie dormant, as if in a barren desert, but then . . . but then circumstances change to allow their evil to become truly, truly terrible, a boiling storm that encompasses all in its wake.” She pressed her hand to her eyes and fought to stop her voice cracking. “And though I knew what I was walking into, it seems that in coming here I fear that I have seen the tip of an iceberg, a mountain of opportunity for evil to envelop the people not only in this country but far beyond her borders.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Winspear" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we-ve-all-seen-it-and-done-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we-ve-all-seen-it-and-done-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/jacqueline-winspear-9117_communication_everyone-has-a-capacity-for-evil-and-we_2009582.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“everyone has a capacity for evil. 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