---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil."
description: "\"“He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.”\" — John Gerard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png"
---

#  He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.

![“He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.” quote by John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png)

> ““He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.””

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A concise epithet portraying an ancient, seasoned antagonist as a persistent embodiment of evil.

**In simple terms:** Ancient villain embodies evil.

Key Takeaway

Evil endures through age.

Themes

evil age villainy experience menace

Mood

ominous dark

Type

descriptive character label

When to use this quote

- fantasy lore
- villain description
- world‑building

Key Concepts

character archetype moral contrast

Practical Applications

- setting tone
- character sketch

Questions to Reflect On

- Why emphasize the veteran aspect of evil?
- How does age affect perceived threat?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veteran/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a veteran of Ozzfest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-paul/i-m-a-veteran-of-ozzfest/)

[Vinnie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-paul/)

> [Spring comes with joyous laugh, and song, and sunshine, and the burnt sacrifice of the over-ripe boot and the hoary overshoe. The cowboy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wilson-nye/spring-comes-with-joyous-laugh-and-song-and-sunshine-and-the-burnt/)

[Edgar Wilson Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wilson-nye/)

> [In order to expand the gaming population, it is taken for granted that we need to offer games to satisfy veteran gamers. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/in-order-to-expand-the-gaming-population-it-is-taken-for-granted-that/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [We're starting to see, as the economy improves, that the unemployment rate among veterans and military spouses - we're seeing some improvement in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-starting-to-see-as-the-economy-improves-that-the-unemployment/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/from-the-world-wars-of-europe-to-the-jungles-of-the-far-east-from-the/)

[John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/)

> [“Stomach full of jitters, little beasts that were second cousins to guacamolians—little green monsters that wreaked havoc in your stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kely-mcclung/stomach-full-of-jitters-little-beasts-that-were-second-cousins-to/)

[William Kely McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kely-mcclung/)

> [I have a band that I started with a buddy of mine, a Vietnam veteran pal named Kimo Williams from Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-have-a-band-that-i-started-with-a-buddy-of-mine-a-vietnam-veteran/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

> [“If choosing to love first can change enemies into friends on the battlefield of Iraq, I know that it can right here, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/if-choosing-to-love-first-can-change-enemies-into-friends-on-the/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/)

[Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/)

> [As a soldier and combat veteran, I believe American military forces should only be used in the defense and furtherance of our nation's vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-ernst/as-a-soldier-and-combat-veteran-i-believe-american-military-forces/)

[Joni Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-ernst/)

> [Anyone who's been the Olympic trials before is a veteran.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-aaron/anyone-who-s-been-the-olympic-trials-before-is-a-veteran/)

[Max Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-aaron/)

> [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [There will be no veterans of World War III.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-f-mondale/there-will-be-no-veterans-of-world-war-iii/)

[Walter F. Mondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-f-mondale/)

> [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-am-not-unmindful-that-some-of-you-have-come-here-out-of-great/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## More by John Gerard

> [The savor of the water mint rejoiceth the heart of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/the-savor-of-the-water-mint-rejoiceth-the-heart-of-men/)

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

> [If delight may provoke men's labour, what greater delights is there then to behold the earth as apparelled with plants, as with a robe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/if-delight-may-provoke-men-s-labour-what-greater-delights-is-there/)

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

> [The onion being eaten, yea though it be boyled, causeth head-ache, hurteth the eyes, and maketh a man dimme sighted, dulleth the senses, ingendreth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/the-onion-being-eaten-yea-though-it-be-boyled-causeth-head-ache/)

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

> [If odours may worke satisfaction, they are so soveraigne in plants and so comfortable that no confection of the apothecaries can equall their excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/if-odours-may-worke-satisfaction-they-are-so-soveraigne-in-plants-and/)

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

> [According to the Spanish proverb, four persons are wanted to make a good salad: a spendthrift for oil, a miser for vinegar, a counsellor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/according-to-the-spanish-proverb-four-persons-are-wanted-to-make-a/)

[John Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

[Explore all 6 John Gerard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/)

## 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

> [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": "“He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Gerard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-evil/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-evil/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/john-gerard-55427_evil_he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-ev_90866.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was old and hoary and a veteran in evil.” — John Gerard",
                "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": "John Gerard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He was old and hoary and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-evil/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerard/he-was-old-and-hoary-and-a-veteran-in-evil/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
