--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All these words, words like 'evil' and…" description: "\"All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.\" — John Marsden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/530/john-marsden-3782_evil_all-these-words-words-like-evil-and-vici_2678675.png" --- # All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they… ![“All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.” quote by John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/530/john-marsden-3782_evil_all-these-words-words-like-evil-and-vici_2678675.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/530/john-marsden-3782_evil_all-these-words-words-like-evil-and-vici_2678675.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/530/john-marsden-3782_evil_all-these-words-words-like-evil-and-vici_2678675.png) > “All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.” [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims moral labels like “evil” are human constructs, meaningless to nature itself. **In simple terms:** Evil is a human invention. Key Takeaway Question moral labels. Themes ethics human constructs nature Mood reflective critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - literature - philosophy - social critique Key Concepts subjectivity language Questions to Reflect On - Are moral terms universal? - How do societies define evil? A Different Perspective Moral concepts can vary across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-human-652669/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Like Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-evil-1078671/) [Meant Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-nature-2562969/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Vicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious/) [Yes Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-evil-2562970/) ## Related quotes > [So, that was Nature's way. The mosquito felt pain and panic but the dragonfly knew nothing of cruelty. Humans would call it evil, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/so-that-was-nature-s-way-the-mosquito-felt-pain-and-panic-but-the/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [The evil is not that you cannot change human nature. The evil is that human nature cannot change you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barrows-dunham/the-evil-is-not-that-you-cannot-change-human-nature-the-evil-is-that/) [Barrows Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barrows-dunham/) > [“Good, evil, these are human concepts, ways people have for understanding what it means to be alive,” Nick said. “Before people came along, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abramelin-keldor/good-evil-these-are-human-concepts-ways-people-have-for-understanding/) [Abramelin Keldor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abramelin-keldor/) > [Government is an unnecessary evil. Human beings, when accustomed to taking responsibility for their own behavior, can cooperate on a basis of mutual trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-woodworth/government-is-an-unnecessary-evil-human-beings-when-accustomed-to/) [Fred Woodworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-woodworth/) > [There is evil in every human heart, which may remain latent, perhaps, through the whole of life; but circumstances may rouse it to activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-evil-in-every-human-heart-which-may-remain-latent-perhaps/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The moment we forget that even the evil among us are still human is the moment we forget that even the most human among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/the-moment-we-forget-that-even-the-evil-among-us-are-still-human-is/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/to-do-evil-a-human-being-must-first-of-all-believe-that-what-he-s-4/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good, or else that it’s a well-considered act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/to-do-evil-a-human-being-must-first-of-all-believe-that-what-he-s-3/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [There is no evil in human affairs that has not some good mingled with it. \[It., Non e male alcuno nelle cose umane che…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-guicciardini/there-is-no-evil-in-human-affairs-that-has-not-some-good-mingled-with/) [Francesco Guicciardini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-guicciardini/) > [“It is very seldom that one encounters what would appear to be sheer unadulterated evil in a human face; an evil, I mean, active,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/it-is-very-seldom-that-one-encounters-what-would-appear-to-be-sheer/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [“WANG. We live in a time of great change. It is easy to find monsters- and as easy to find heroes. To judge rightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/wang-we-live-in-a-time-of-great-change-it-is-easy-to-find-monsters/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good, or else that it's a well-considered act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/to-do-evil-a-human-being-must-first-of-all-believe-that-what-he-s/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [You can't just blame things on evil. Everyone's a human, so when people say that somebody's behaving 'inhuman,' it's not. It's very human -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-johnson/you-can-t-just-blame-things-on-evil-everyone-s-a-human-so-when-people/) [Eric Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-johnson/) > [“I have experienced real horror. I have known true evil. Its name is human nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-newman/i-have-experienced-real-horror-i-have-known-true-evil-its-name-is/) [James Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-newman/) > [And weren't, when you got right down to it, particularly evil. Human beings mostly aren't. They just get carried away by new ideas, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/and-weren-t-when-you-got-right-down-to-it-particularly-evil-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by John Marsden > [“I make people uncomfortable. The kind ones get angry because their kindness doesn't work. The unkind ones get angry because they think I'm attacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/i-make-people-uncomfortable-the-kind-ones-get-angry-because-their/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [So, that was Nature's way. The mosquito felt pain and panic but the dragonfly knew nothing of cruelty. Humans would call it evil, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/so-that-was-nature-s-way-the-mosquito-felt-pain-and-panic-but-the/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“We'll never feel safe again, and so it's bye-bye innocence. It's been nice knowing you, but you're gone now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/we-ll-never-feel-safe-again-and-so-it-s-bye-bye-innocence-it-s-been/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“Life’s about a hell of a lot more than being happy. It’s about feeling the full range of stuff: happiness, sadness, anger, grief, love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/life-s-about-a-hell-of-a-lot-more-than-being-happy-it-s-about-feeling/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/ask-for-forgiveness-not-permission/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“I lay there with my mind running amuck, on the brink of madness. And somehow, gradually, early Sunday morning, I became calm. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/i-lay-there-with-my-mind-running-amuck-on-the-brink-of-madness-and/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“In this life of froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone. Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/in-this-life-of-froth-and-bubble-two-things-stand-like-stone-kindness/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“There’s life in his face again. It occurs to me that this is the best thing I could have done, it’s actually a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/there-s-life-in-his-face-again-it-occurs-to-me-that-this-is-the-best/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [Life's about a hell of a lot more than being happy. It's about feeling the full range of stuff: happiness, sadness, anger, grief, love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/life-s-about-a-hell-of-a-lot-more-than-being-happy-it-s-about-feeling-2/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“It'd be funny if one of them was called Gavin. Funny but irrelevant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/it-d-be-funny-if-one-of-them-was-called-gavin-funny-but-irrelevant/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [When you're scared you can either give in to the panic and let your mind fall apart, or you can take charge of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/when-you-re-scared-you-can-either-give-in-to-the-panic-and-let-your/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“Cynicism is like gastro: it goes through your whole system and makes you shitty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/cynicism-is-like-gastro-it-goes-through-your-whole-system-and-makes/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [It seems like suffering's the only time we can see what's essential. If peace ever comes back I'm making a vow: I'll design myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/it-seems-like-suffering-s-the-only-time-we-can-see-what-s-essential/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [“But somehow, standing in the clear night air, under a sky that glowed like a shower of sparks, none of that stuff mattered. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/but-somehow-standing-in-the-clear-night-air-under-a-sky-that-glowed/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) [Explore all 121 John Marsden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) ## 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": "All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. 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