--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Little evil would be done in the world if…" description: "\"Little evil would be done in the world if evil never could be done in the name of good.\" — Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach-258_community_little-evil-would-be-done-in-the-world-i_754238.png" --- # Little evil would be done in the world if evil never could… ![“Little evil would be done in the world if evil never could be done in the name of good.” quote by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach-258_community_little-evil-would-be-done-in-the-world-i_754238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach-258_community_little-evil-would-be-done-in-the-world-i_754238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach-258_community_little-evil-would-be-done-in-the-world-i_754238.png) > “Little evil would be done in the world if evil never could be done in the name of good.” [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If evil is never justified as good, many harmful acts would not occur; the moral framing of actions enables wrongdoing. **In simple terms:** Justifying evil as good enables harm. Key Takeaway Question the moral framing of actions. Themes ethics morality justification evil good Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - Political rhetoric - Corporate decisions - Personal choices Key Concepts Moral relativism Consequentialism Psychology of justification Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen good used to excuse bad? - How can we expose hidden motives? A Different Perspective People often rationalize harmful acts despite clear harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-good/) [Evil world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-world/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [Little Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-evil-901031/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-evil/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [The world needed a little Evil, so Good had something to compare itself to, but you couldn't let it think it had the right-of-way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-world-needed-a-little-evil-so-good-had-something-to-compare/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [It isn’t hard to find evil in this world. 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Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-flowers/) > [I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-would-rather-be-a-little-nobody-then-to-be-a-evil-somebody/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Someday you'll wish that you've done a little evil to do a greater good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/someday-you-ll-wish-that-you-ve-done-a-little-evil-to-do-a-greater/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [“As the pot slowly fills up with water, drop by drop, so does the fool, little by little, become evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/as-the-pot-slowly-fills-up-with-water-drop-by-drop-so-does-the-fool/) [Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [No notice is taken of a little evil, but when it increases it strikes the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/no-notice-is-taken-of-a-little-evil-but-when-it-increases-it-strikes/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I love women when they're being a little evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/i-love-women-when-they-re-being-a-little-evil/) [Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/) > [A little evil is often necessary for obtaining a great good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/a-little-evil-is-often-necessary-for-obtaining-a-great-good/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [There was no more good or evil in this world than we imagine there to be, either out of greed or out of innocence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/there-was-no-more-good-or-evil-in-this-world-than-we-imagine-there-to/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“why is most of the evil of this world the work of men? 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Beneath its breath souls develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/pain-is-the-great-teacher-of-mankind-beneath-its-breath-souls-develop/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Where would the power of women be, were it not for the vanity of men?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/where-would-the-power-of-women-be-were-it-not-for-the-vanity-of-men/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [“Much less evil would be done on earth if evil could not be done in the name of good. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/much-less-evil-would-be-done-on-earth-if-evil-could-not-be-done-in/) [Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Those whom we support hold us up in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/those-whom-we-support-hold-us-up-in-life/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Pity is love in undress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/pity-is-love-in-undress/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-a-stopped-clock-is-right-twice-a-day/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Morals refine manners, as manners refine morals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/morals-refine-manners-as-manners-refine-morals/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Nothing makes us more cowardly and unconscionable than the desire to be loved by everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/nothing-makes-us-more-cowardly-and-unconscionable-than-the-desire-to/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) [Explore all 158 Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. 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