--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many have puzzled themselves about the…" description: "\"Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg" --- # Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I… ![“Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end.” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg) > “Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end.” [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil exists; escaping it is the central pursuit of life. **In simple terms:** Evil is real; we must find a way out. Key Takeaway Seek escape from evil. Themes morality spirituality human nature Mood reflective serious Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal crisis - ethical decision making - spiritual practice Key Concepts theodicy redemption existential purpose Questions to Reflect On - What does escaping evil mean to you? - How can one recognize the path out of evil? A Different Perspective Escaping evil may be more complex than a single path. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begin And End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-and-end/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Origin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origin/) ## Related quotes > [“Our descent, then, is the origin of our evil passions!! The devil under form of Baboon is our grandfather. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/our-descent-then-is-the-origin-of-our-evil-passions-the-devil-under/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [The question of why evil exists is not a theological question, for it assumes that it is possible to go behind the existence forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-question-of-why-evil-exists-is-not-a-theological-question-for-it/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The god of the Christians, as we have seen, is the god who makes promises only to break them; who sends them pestilence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-god-of-the-christians-as-we-have-seen-is-the-god-who-makes/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [“Nevertheless I would be a hypocrite not to anticipate that the good intentions I brought to The Prince will also be the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ennis/nevertheless-i-would-be-a-hypocrite-not-to-anticipate-that-the-good/) [Michael Ennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ennis/) > [“Spontaneous evil has its way, when the soul is fast asleep in the safety of regular moments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krogstad/spontaneous-evil-has-its-way-when-the-soul-is-fast-asleep-in-the/) Brian Krogstad > [“ALL that man has touched, will be used... For both Good and evil. Such is the way of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-d-longoria-jr/all-that-man-has-touched-will-be-used-for-both-good-and-evil-such-is/) [Raymond D. Longoria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-d-longoria-jr/) > [“This is the greatest evil that grows out of a wrong act. Somebody always remembers it … in an evil way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/this-is-the-greatest-evil-that-grows-out-of-a-wrong-act-somebody/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [Like anything else, you can use the Internet for good or ill. You can get out of it what you want to. There's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/like-anything-else-you-can-use-the-internet-for-good-or-ill-you-can/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [Never react to an evil in such a way as to augment it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/never-react-to-an-evil-in-such-a-way-as-to-augment-it/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [If there was no evil there would be no way to proove what good is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-there-was-no-evil-there-would-be-no-way-to-proove-what-good-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The reason the factions were evil is because there was no way out of them. They gave us the illusion of choice without actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-reason-the-factions-were-evil-is-because-there-was-no-way-out-of/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I really don't want to portray the Islamists as simply evil, the way it's often done in the west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-really-don-t-want-to-portray-the-islamists-as-simply-evil-the-way/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Where do I begin and end in space? I have relations to the sun and air which are just as vital parts of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/where-do-i-begin-and-end-in-space-i-have-relations-to-the-sun-and-air/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Krushna is my boyfriend but my life doesn't begin and end with him and neither does his professional career begin and end with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashmira-shah/krushna-is-my-boyfriend-but-my-life-doesn-t-begin-and-end-with-him/) [Kashmira Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kashmira-shah/) > [Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a batter. Love is a war. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-does-not-begin-and-end-the-way-we-seem-to-think-it-does-love-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Newton > [Every drop of rain hits its appointed target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/every-drop-of-rain-hits-its-appointed-target/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great bundle of sticks, far too large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/i-compare-the-troubles-which-we-have-to-undergo-in-the-course-of-the/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [God works powerfully, but for the most part gently and gradually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/god-works-powerfully-but-for-the-most-part-gently-and-gradually/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [Time, by moments, steals away, First the hour, and then the day; Small the daily loss appears, Yet it soon amounts to years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/time-by-moments-steals-away-first-the-hour-and-then-the-day-small-the/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [Whether men are pleased or not, we will, we must, worship the Lamb that was slain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/whether-men-are-pleased-or-not-we-will-we-must-worship-the-lamb-that/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [If two angels were sent down from heaven,--one to conduct an empire, and the other to sweep a street,--they would feel no inclination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/if-two-angels-were-sent-down-from-heaven-one-to-conduct-an-empire-and/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [A soul disengaged from the world is a heavenly one; and then are we ready for heaven when our heart is there before us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/a-soul-disengaged-from-the-world-is-a-heavenly-one-and-then-are-we/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [By one hour's intimate access to the throne of grace, where the Lord causes His glory to pass before the soul that seeks Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/by-one-hour-s-intimate-access-to-the-throne-of-grace-where-the-lord/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [“The weapons of our warfare, and which alone are powerful to break down the strongholds of error, are not carnal, but spiritual. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/the-weapons-of-our-warfare-and-which-alone-are-powerful-to-break-down/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [If two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from God, one to go down and rule earth’s grandest empire, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/if-two-angels-were-to-receive-at-the-same-moment-a-commission-from/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/if-it-were-possible-for-me-to-alter-any-part-of-his-plan-i-could-only/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [May we sit at the foot of the cross; and there learn what sin has done, what justice has done, what love has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/may-we-sit-at-the-foot-of-the-cross-and-there-learn-what-sin-has-done/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [“Self-righteousness can feed upon doctrines—as well as upon works!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/self-righteousness-can-feed-upon-doctrines-as-well-as-upon-works/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-can-easily-manage-if-we-will-only-take-each-day-the-burden/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) [Explore all 98 John Newton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) ## 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": "Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Newton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-origin-of-evil-i-am-content-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-origin-of-evil-i-am-content-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/john-newton-6629_evil_many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-o_671734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that…” — John Newton", "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 Newton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Many have puzzled themselves about the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-origin-of-evil-i-am-content-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/many-have-puzzled-themselves-about-the-origin-of-evil-i-am-content-to/#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 } } ] } ```