---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ignorance of impending evil is far better…"
description: "\"Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge of its approach.\" — Marcus Tullius Cicero"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg"
---

#  Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge…

![“Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge of its approach.” quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg)

> “Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge of its approach.”

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

## About This Quote

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

Preferring ignorance over awareness of looming danger can be a coping mechanism, though it may prevent preparation.

**In simple terms:** Ignorance can feel safer than knowing danger.

Key Takeaway

Consider facing threats early.

Themes

fear coping awareness

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

philosophical cautionary

When to use this quote

- personal safety
- political strategy
- health crises

Key Concepts

Stoicism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you avoid bad news?
- What risks arise from ignorance?

A Different Perspective

Blind spots can lead to unpreparedness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Better Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-knowledge-282126/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-far-1047386/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Impending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-impending-3190264/) [Impending Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impending-evil-3190265/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/)

## Related quotes

> [Evil is a far more cunning and persevering propagandist than good, for it has no inward strength, and is driven to seek countenance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/evil-is-a-far-more-cunning-and-persevering-propagandist-than-good-for/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Denouncing evil is a far cry from doing good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gourevitch/denouncing-evil-is-a-far-cry-from-doing-good/)

[Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gourevitch/)

> [Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and is far from being the greatest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/entire-ignorance-is-not-so-terrible-or-extreme-an-evil-and-is-far-2/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/)

[Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/)

> [“Imagination is better than knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/imagination-is-better-than-knowledge/)

[Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/)

> [More students have a better knowledge of pop culture than of the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bowen/more-students-have-a-better-knowledge-of-pop-culture-than-of-the/)

[Charles Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bowen/)

> [Henceforth ye may thieve with better knowledge whence lucre should be won, and learn that it is not well to love gain from every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/henceforth-ye-may-thieve-with-better-knowledge-whence-lucre-should-be/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“Without a good understanding of history how can we make informed and therefore good and sensible decisions about current issues? The future then can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-tonkin/without-a-good-understanding-of-history-how-can-we-make-informed-and/)

[Keith Tonkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-tonkin/)

> [Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlemagne/right-action-is-better-than-knowledge-but-in-order-to-do-what-is/)

[Charlemagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlemagne/)

> [Ignorance is never better than knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/ignorance-is-never-better-than-knowledge/)

[Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/)

> [I know of no time in human history where ignorance was better than knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-know-of-no-time-in-human-history-where-ignorance-was-better-than/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We obtain better knowledge of a person during one hour's play and games than by conversing with him for a whole year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-obtain-better-knowledge-of-a-person-during-one-hour-s-play-and/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Discretion has been termed the better part of valour, and it is more certain, that diffidence is the better part of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/discretion-has-been-termed-the-better-part-of-valour-and-it-is-more/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Understanding is far better than knowledge. There are many people in our lives that know us, but not a lot of people that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/understanding-is-far-better-than-knowledge-there-are-many-people-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My own view about knowledge is we're always better to have knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/my-own-view-about-knowledge-is-we-re-always-better-to-have-knowledge/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

## More by Marcus Tullius Cicero

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/gratitude-is-not-only-the-greatest-of-virtues-but-the-parent-of-all/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Things sacred should not only be touched with the hands, but unviolated in thought. \[Lat., Res sacros non modo manibus attingi, sed ne cogitatione…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/things-sacred-should-not-only-be-touched-with-the-hands-but/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Grief is not in the nature of things, but in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/grief-is-not-in-the-nature-of-things-but-in-opinion/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Physicians, when the cause of disease is discovered, consider that the cure is discovered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/physicians-when-the-cause-of-disease-is-discovered-consider-that-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum. (Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nihil-est-incertius-vulgo-nihil-obscurius-voluntate-hominum-nihil/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [The foundations of justice are that on one shall suffer wrong; then, that the public good be promoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-foundations-of-justice-are-that-on-one-shall-suffer-wrong-then/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-life-of-the-dead-is-set-in-the-memory-of-the-living/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Pardon is granted to necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/pardon-is-granted-to-necessity/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Friendship embraces innumerable ends; turn where you will it is ever at your side; no barrier shuts it out; it is never untimely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/friendship-embraces-innumerable-ends-turn-where-you-will-it-is-ever/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [History is the witness of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/history-is-the-witness-of-the-times-the-light-of-truth-the-life-of/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nature-has-planted-in-our-minds-an-insatiable-longing-to-see-the-truth/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

[Explore all 1,068 Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

## More Approach quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/)

[Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

[Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge of its approach.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marcus Tullius Cicero"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-better-than-a-knowledge-of-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Approach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-better-than-a-knowledge-of-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_approach_ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-bette_2763873.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ignorance of impending evil is far better than a knowledge of its approach.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero",
                "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": "Marcus Tullius Cicero",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Ignorance of impending evil is far...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-better-than-a-knowledge-of-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/ignorance-of-impending-evil-is-far-better-than-a-knowledge-of-its/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
