Creatures Quote by Marquis de Sade
“Evil is... a moral entity and not a created one, an eternal and not a perishable entity: it existed before the world; it constituted the monstrous, the execrable being who was also to fashion such a hideous world. It will hence exist after the creatures which people this world”
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Treatise: The 120 Days of Sodom, 1785
Describes evil as an eternal, inherent moral force predating creation.
In simple terms: Evil is a timeless moral reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize evil's deep roots.
Themes
philosophy
morality
existence
Mood
dark
serious
Type
philosophical
theoretical
When to use this quote
- political theory
- ethical debates
- psychology
Key Concepts
ontological evil
metaphysics
Questions to Reflect On
- Is evil a construct or a fundamental reality?
- How does this view affect moral responsibility?
A Different Perspective
Eternal evil concept may conflict with scientific views.
![“The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b85/marquis-de-sade-1964_capital-punishment_the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capi_99486.jpg)
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
