--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem of good and evil is not the…" description: "\"The problem of good and evil is not the problem of good and evil, but only the problem of evil. In opposition to good there are evil characters, but th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/laura-riding-9995_argument_the-problem-of-good-and-evil-is-not-the_2219277.png" --- # The problem of good and evil is not the problem of good… ![“The problem of good and evil is not the problem of good and evil, but only the problem of evil. In opposition to good there are evil characters, but there are no good characters in opposition to evil. Evil is arguable, but good is not. Therefore the Devil always wins the argument.” quote by Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/laura-riding-9995_argument_the-problem-of-good-and-evil-is-not-the_2219277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/laura-riding-9995_argument_the-problem-of-good-and-evil-is-not-the_2219277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/laura-riding-9995_argument_the-problem-of-good-and-evil-is-not-the_2219277.png) > “The problem of good and evil is not the problem of good and evil, but only the problem of evil. In opposition to good there are evil characters, but there are no good characters in opposition to evil. Evil is arguable, but good is not. Therefore the Devil always wins the argument.” [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that evil is the central conflict, while good lacks agency, leading to the conclusion that evil dominates discourse. **In simple terms:** Evil drives conflict; good is passive. Key Takeaway Recognize how narratives frame evil as active. Themes philosophy ethics conflict power dynamics narrative duality Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - Literary analysis - political debate - media criticism - ethical decision making Key Concepts Moral relativism existentialism binary opposition Questions to Reflect On - How does framing good as passive affect societal values? - Can good be active without becoming evil? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex moral landscapes and ignores collaborative good. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-characters/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Good character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-character/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem of evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-of-evil/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [“If there is a "problem of evil" there is also a "problem of good." Wherever we look we see not only confusion but beauty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/if-there-is-a-problem-of-evil-there-is-also-a-problem-of-good/) [Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/) > [The Founders recognized that Government is quite literally a necessary evil, that there must be opposition, between its various branches, and between political parties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/the-founders-recognized-that-government-is-quite-literally-a/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Where there is no opposition to evil, it multiplies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/where-there-is-no-opposition-to-evil-it-multiplies/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Good Lord, what is man! for as simple he looks, Do but try to develop his books and his crooks, With his depths and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/good-lord-what-is-man-for-as-simple-he-looks-do-but-try-to-develop/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Leftwing people find it very hard to get on with rightwing people, because they believe that they are evil. Whereas I have no problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/leftwing-people-find-it-very-hard-to-get-on-with-rightwing-people/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Evil is never in a rush. It creeps up slowly. It doesn't hide, but confronts you in broad daylight. It gives decades of warnings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/evil-is-never-in-a-rush-it-creeps-up-slowly-it-doesn-t-hide-but/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [Why must I be surrounded by frickin' idiots?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/why-must-i-be-surrounded-by-frickin-idiots/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The whole race, which is now called Gallic or Galatic,is madly fond of war,high-spirited and quick to battle,but otherwise straightforward and not of evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strabo/the-whole-race-which-is-now-called-gallic-or-galatic-is-madly-fond-of/) [Strabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strabo/) > [I can find some part of me that relates to even the most evil characters. At least in my imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brake/i-can-find-some-part-of-me-that-relates-to-even-the-most-evil/) [Richard Brake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brake/) > [I think there's a dishonorable tradition in Hollywood to give the idea, particularly to children, that evil characters are dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-think-there-s-a-dishonorable-tradition-in-hollywood-to-give-the/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I do like to explore evil characters in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/i-do-like-to-explore-evil-characters-in-my-books/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [I enjoy playing evil, but not one-dimensional evil characters. I like the ebbs and cracks in the armor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodrigo-santoro/i-enjoy-playing-evil-but-not-one-dimensional-evil-characters-i-like/) [Rodrigo Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodrigo-santoro/) > [You don't buy evil characters lattes. That's not normal behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-james-collier/you-don-t-buy-evil-characters-lattes-that-s-not-normal-behavior/) [Rob James-Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-james-collier/) > [(I)t is simply wrong to confuse cowardice with appeasement. Cowardice is a failing of character. Appeasement is a failure of policy. Stalin appeased Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-t-is-simply-wrong-to-confuse-cowardice-with-appeasement-cowardice/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Most evil characters, if they're not psychopathic, they become that way because they believe in what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-burke/most-evil-characters-if-they-re-not-psychopathic-they-become-that-way/) [Billy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-burke/) ## More by Laura Riding > [I believe that misconceptions about oneself that one does not correct where possible act as a bad magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/i-believe-that-misconceptions-about-oneself-that-one-does-not-correct/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [To a poet the mere making of a poem can seem to solve the problem of truth…but only a problem of art is solved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/to-a-poet-the-mere-making-of-a-poem-can-seem-to-solve-the-problem-of/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Evil I had never found satisfactorily placeable as an integral element of the universal, or total, content of existence. Indeed, evil is evil just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/evil-i-had-never-found-satisfactorily-placeable-as-an-integral/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [“Forgive me, giver, if I destroy the gift: it is so nearly what would please me I cannot but perfect it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/forgive-me-giver-if-i-destroy-the-gift-it-is-so-nearly-what-would/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [The new "ambiguity" means, in a way adjudged favorable to literary, poetic, intellectually and psychologically well-devised and praiseworthily executed linguistic performance, uncertainty of meaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/the-new-ambiguity-means-in-a-way-adjudged-favorable-to-literary/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Conversation succeeds conversation, Until there's nothing left to talk about Except truth, the perennial monologue, And no talker to dispute it but itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/conversation-succeeds-conversation-until-there-s-nothing-left-to-talk/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Women, ever since there have been women, have had a way of being people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/women-ever-since-there-have-been-women-have-had-a-way-of-being-people/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [ She \[Venison\] had never travelled and so could invent all kinds of strange places without being limited, as travelled people are, by knowledge of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/she-venison-had-never-travelled-and-so-could-invent-all-kinds-of/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [rummaging in the storehouses of religious or literary history for myth-matter for ideational uses is of the nature of spiritual vulgarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/rummaging-in-the-storehouses-of-religious-or-literary-history-for/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [The terms 'male' and 'female' must be understood as representing no mere primitive opposition of sex to sex; but as defining two worlds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/the-terms-male-and-female-must-be-understood-as-representing-no-mere/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [The object of all religious activity is to mingle the human and the non-human, and the lower gods represent that which is cast back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/the-object-of-all-religious-activity-is-to-mingle-the-human-and-the/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Women are strangers in the country of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/women-are-strangers-in-the-country-of-man/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Every thought sounds like a footfall, Till a thought like a boot kicks down the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/every-thought-sounds-like-a-footfall-till-a-thought-like-a-boot-kicks/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [Politics have always covered two distinct kinds of problems: problems of administrative routine, and those that may be called 'questions of the moment.' A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/politics-have-always-covered-two-distinct-kinds-of-problems-problems/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [To tell one comprehensive story of how it has happened that what is is, one which shall hold true, come what may, now-after -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/to-tell-one-comprehensive-story-of-how-it-has-happened-that-what-is/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) [Explore all 68 Laura Riding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... 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