--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And people who do hideous things do not…" description: "\"“And people who do hideous things do not look like people who do hideous, things. There is no \"face of evil.\" If we could somehow subtract all its horr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/martha-stout-9173_face-evil_and-people-who-do-hideous-things-do-not_2361986.png" --- # And people who do hideous things do not look like people… ![“And people who do hideous things do not look like people who do hideous, things. There is no "face of evil." If we could somehow subtract all its horrifying connotations, the actual face of Saddam I Hussein looks rather avuncular, and has often been recorded as having a big friendly smile…” quote by Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/martha-stout-9173_face-evil_and-people-who-do-hideous-things-do-not_2361986.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/martha-stout-9173_face-evil_and-people-who-do-hideous-things-do-not_2361986.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/martha-stout-9173_face-evil_and-people-who-do-hideous-things-do-not_2361986.png) > ““And people who do hideous things do not look like people who do hideous, things. There is no "face of evil." If we could somehow subtract all its horrifying connotations, the actual face of Saddam I Hussein looks rather avuncular, and has often been recorded as having a big friendly smile. Hitler's face, had it not become an icon of evil because of the atrocities his life engendered, might be considered almost comical, Ch”” [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that evil lacks a distinct appearance; even notorious figures can seem ordinary or friendly. **In simple terms:** Evil has no unique face. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances to judge character. Themes psychology morality perception evil human nature Mood cautious thoughtful Type psychological observational When to use this quote - judging character - media analysis - personal safety - ethical decision‑making Key Concepts face of evil psychological projection social perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate appearance from intent? - Can kindness mask harmful intentions? A Different Perspective It may downplay the importance of contextual evidence in assessing threat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-atrocities-5786461/) [Face Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-evil-594321/) [Hitler Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler-face-5786459/) [Hussein Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hussein-looks-5786462/) [Smile Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-hitler-5786460/) ## Related quotes > [All those who slight me to my face, Or do me any other evil, Even if they blame or slander me, May they attain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/all-those-who-slight-me-to-my-face-or-do-me-any-other-evil-even-if/) [Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/) > [The face of evil is always the face of total need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-face-of-evil-is-always-the-face-of-total-need/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Best to live and love by the maxim that 'silence in the face of evil is evil itself', but when it's evil fighting evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/best-to-live-and-love-by-the-maxim-that-silence-in-the-face-of-evil/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/silence-in-the-face-of-evil-is-evil-itself/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The very face of evil was love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-minor/the-very-face-of-evil-was-love/) [Kyle Minor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-minor/) > [Becoming the Devil , makes me glad.. i know it makes everyone mad... brings everything sad... it ain't over lad.! If u think u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-kundra/becoming-the-devil-makes-me-glad-i-know-it-makes-everyone-mad-brings/) [Jatin Kundra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jatin-kundra/) > [Nobody should be forced to face evil with empty hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/nobody-should-be-forced-to-face-evil-with-empty-hands/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) > [“To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/to-stay-true-in-the-face-of-evil-is-a-feat-of-strength/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“If you look in the face of evil, evil's gonna look right back at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-jude/if-you-look-in-the-face-of-evil-evil-s-gonna-look-right-back-at-you/) [Sister Jude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-jude/) > [“Never close your hands in the face of evil fate; get up and rebel against it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/never-close-your-hands-in-the-face-of-evil-fate-get-up-and-rebel/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“It is very seldom that one encounters what would appear to be sheer unadulterated evil in a human face; an evil, I mean, active,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/it-is-very-seldom-that-one-encounters-what-would-appear-to-be-sheer/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/to-remain-silent-in-the-face-of-evil-is-itself-a-form-of-evil/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“To be a pacifist in the face of evil is to be complicit with evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/to-be-a-pacifist-in-the-face-of-evil-is-to-be-complicit-with-evil/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [“I woke up to find Herobrine staring at me. Talk about scary! I hate his glowing eyes and his smug face. How is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crafty-nichole/i-woke-up-to-find-herobrine-staring-at-me-talk-about-scary-i-hate-his/) [Crafty Nichole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crafty-nichole/) > [The cruelest thing of all is false hope, and just remember, if you look into the face of evil, evil is going to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/the-cruelest-thing-of-all-is-false-hope-and-just-remember-if-you-look/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) ## More by Martha Stout > [“A part of a healthy conscience is being able to confront consciencelessness. When you teach your daughter, explicitly or by passive rejection, that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-part-of-a-healthy-conscience-is-being-able-to-confront/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [I would hesitate to tell people to stop being kind or sympathetic to sociopath. But just like loyalty, some things that can be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/i-would-hesitate-to-tell-people-to-stop-being-kind-or-sympathetic-to/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“when confronted with a destructive outcome that is clearly their doing, they will say, plain and simple, “I never did that,” and will to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/when-confronted-with-a-destructive-outcome-that-is-clearly-their/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [Usually sociopaths will look down upon us for that very reason - that we're gullible. We're weak. One person told me that he thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/usually-sociopaths-will-look-down-upon-us-for-that-very-reason-that/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [A conscience is, for a while anyway, pretty easy to fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-conscience-is-for-a-while-anyway-pretty-easy-to-fake/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's. His hair was perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/i-saw-a-werewolf-drinking-a-pina-colada-at-trader-vic-s-his-hair-was/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [The most reliable sign, the most universal behavior of unscrupulous people is not directed, as one might imagine, at our fearfulness. It is, perversely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/the-most-reliable-sign-the-most-universal-behavior-of-unscrupulous/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [When you were a child, where boredom could actually get to be painful. Sociopaths experience that kind of pain in boredom. And so to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/when-you-were-a-child-where-boredom-could-actually-get-to-be-painful/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [One way or another, a life without conscience is a failed life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/one-way-or-another-a-life-without-conscience-is-a-failed-life/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [We raise our children, especially girls, to ignore their spontaneious reactions-we teach them not to rock the societal boat...By the time she is thirty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/we-raise-our-children-especially-girls-to-ignore-their-spontaneious/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [Most of who we are is our deepest emotions, and someone who cannot feel those emotions in a positive way is never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/most-of-who-we-are-is-our-deepest-emotions-and-someone-who-cannot/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“Unless under the spell of a psychotic delusion, extreme rage, inescapable deprivation, drugs, or a destructive authority figure, a person who is conscience-bound does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/unless-under-the-spell-of-a-psychotic-delusion-extreme-rage/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“If all you had ever felt toward another person were the cold wish to “win,” how would you understand the meaning of love, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/if-all-you-had-ever-felt-toward-another-person-were-the-cold-wish-to/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“And so without our primordial attachments to others, what would we be? Evidently, we would be the players of a game, one that resembled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/and-so-without-our-primordial-attachments-to-others-what-would-we-be/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [When I speak of divisions greater than gender or race, I say that because it is so unimaginable. I can imagine what it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/when-i-speak-of-divisions-greater-than-gender-or-race-i-say-that/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) [Explore all 75 Martha Stout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) ## More Face Evil quotes > [All those who slight me to my face, Or do me any other evil, Even if they blame or slander me, May they attain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/all-those-who-slight-me-to-my-face-or-do-me-any-other-evil-even-if/) [Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/) > [“I woke up to find Herobrine staring at me. Talk about scary! I hate his glowing eyes and his smug face. How is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crafty-nichole/i-woke-up-to-find-herobrine-staring-at-me-talk-about-scary-i-hate-his/) [Crafty Nichole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crafty-nichole/) > [“To be a pacifist in the face of evil is to be complicit with evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/to-be-a-pacifist-in-the-face-of-evil-is-to-be-complicit-with-evil/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/to-remain-silent-in-the-face-of-evil-is-itself-a-form-of-evil/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“It is very seldom that one encounters what would appear to be sheer unadulterated evil in a human face; an evil, I mean, active,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/it-is-very-seldom-that-one-encounters-what-would-appear-to-be-sheer/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [“Never close your hands in the face of evil fate; get up and rebel against it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/never-close-your-hands-in-the-face-of-evil-fate-get-up-and-rebel/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“If you look in the face of evil, evil's gonna look right back at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-jude/if-you-look-in-the-face-of-evil-evil-s-gonna-look-right-back-at-you/) [Sister Jude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-jude/) > [“To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/to-stay-true-in-the-face-of-evil-is-a-feat-of-strength/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Nobody should be forced to face evil with empty hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/nobody-should-be-forced-to-face-evil-with-empty-hands/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) > [Becoming the Devil , makes me glad.. i know it makes everyone mad... brings everything sad... it ain't over lad.! If u think u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-kundra/becoming-the-devil-makes-me-glad-i-know-it-makes-everyone-mad-brings/) [Jatin Kundra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jatin-kundra/) > [“The very face of evil was love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-minor/the-very-face-of-evil-was-love/) [Kyle Minor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-minor/) > [Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/silence-in-the-face-of-evil-is-evil-itself/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“Best to live and love by the maxim that 'silence in the face of evil is evil itself', but when it's evil fighting evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/best-to-live-and-love-by-the-maxim-that-silence-in-the-face-of-evil/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [The face of evil is always the face of total need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-face-of-evil-is-always-the-face-of-total-need/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [The cruelest thing of all is false hope, and just remember, if you look into the face of evil, evil is going to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/the-cruelest-thing-of-all-is-false-hope-and-just-remember-if-you-look/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) [Browse all 17 Face Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-evil-594321/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And people who do hideous things do not look like people who do hideous, things. There is no \"face of evil.\" If we could somehow subtract all its horrifying connotations, the actual face of Saddam I Hussein looks rather avuncular, and has often been recorded as having a big friendly smile. 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