--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good and evil exist only in terms of the…" description: "\"Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others\" — Matthieu Ricard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg" --- # Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or… ![“Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others” quote by Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg) > “Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others” [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral value is judged by the happiness or suffering it causes to self and others. **In simple terms:** Good and evil are measured by the joy or pain they bring. Key Takeaway Assess actions by their impact on wellbeing. Themes ethics consequentialism wellbeing Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal decisions - public policy - conflict resolution - charitable work Key Concepts moral philosophy subjective value Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate the happiness caused by your choices? - Can suffering ever be justified? A Different Perspective May ignore intentions behind actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to permit no evil to exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/god-judged-it-better-to-bring-good-out-of-evil-than-to-permit-no-evil/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [I tend to think that good and evil exist and that the quantity in each of us is unchangeable. The moral character of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-tend-to-think-that-good-and-evil-exist-and-that-the-quantity-in/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Good and evil do not exist for me any more. The fear of evil is merely a mass projection here and on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-bender/good-and-evil-do-not-exist-for-me-any-more-the-fear-of-evil-is-merely/) [Hans Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-bender/) > [“Without memories,there can be no good or evil. It will exist only indifference!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-memories-there-can-be-no-good-or-evil-it-will-exist-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Only humans think death is evil. But it is nature. Evil exist's only in life. There is much good and evil alloted to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isobelle-carmody/only-humans-think-death-is-evil-but-it-is-nature-evil-exist-s-only-in/) [Isobelle Carmody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isobelle-carmody/) > [Isn't it the mind that translates the outer condition into happiness and suffering?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/isn-t-it-the-mind-that-translates-the-outer-condition-into-happiness/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [That's what Buddhism has been trying to unravel - the mechanism of happiness and suffering. It is a science of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/that-s-what-buddhism-has-been-trying-to-unravel-the-mechanism-of/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [The mental suffering you create is always some form of non-acceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-mental-suffering-you-create-is-always-some-form-of-non-acceptance/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Everyone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. We create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/everyone-wants-a-happy-life-without-difficulties-or-suffering-we/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Anger, stress, tension, depression, sorrow, hate, fear - these things start to retreat. And for a filmmaker, having this negativity lift away is money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/anger-stress-tension-depression-sorrow-hate-fear-these-things-start/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [The more suffering you create, the more suffering comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-more-suffering-you-create-the-more-suffering-comes-to-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Adversity, illness, and death are real and inevitable. We chose whether to add to these unavoidable facts of life with the suffering that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/adversity-illness-and-death-are-real-and-inevitable-we-chose-whether/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [“He was not Evil, for even Evil has a certain vitality — Bel-Shamharoth was the flip side of the coin of which Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-was-not-evil-for-even-evil-has-a-certain-vitality-bel-shamharoth/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I believe it's true that there's good and evil in everyone and it's a constant struggle to have your better angels prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-believe-it-s-true-that-there-s-good-and-evil-in-everyone-and-it-s-a/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Matthieu Ricard > [Whatever you train, you change your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/whatever-you-train-you-change-your-brain/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [“I think what everyone should be doing, before it's too late, is committing themselves to what they really want to do with their lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/i-think-what-everyone-should-be-doing-before-it-s-too-late-is/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/happiness-is-a-state-of-inner-fulfillment-not-the-gratification-of/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [At each point in our lives, we are at a crossroads. We are the fruit of our past and we are the architects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/at-each-point-in-our-lives-we-are-at-a-crossroads-we-are-the-fruit-of/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [I don't often get into a bad mood, since it does not help anything and clouds my judgment, but I can certainly see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/i-don-t-often-get-into-a-bad-mood-since-it-does-not-help-anything-and/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Happiness can’t be reduced to a few agreeable sensations. Rather, it is a way of being and of experiencing the world—a profound fulfillment that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/happiness-can-t-be-reduced-to-a-few-agreeable-sensations-rather-it-is/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Peace is not weak. Standing up to a tank is harder than dropping a suicide bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/peace-is-not-weak-standing-up-to-a-tank-is-harder-than-dropping-a/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Authentic happiness is not linked to an activity, it is a state of being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/authentic-happiness-is-not-linked-to-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [ When you see those in healthcare who don't get this burn-out, they are very motherly, fatherly, or loving and attentive with the patients. \[These\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/when-you-see-those-in-healthcare-who-don-t-get-this-burn-out-they-are/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Although the optimist may be a little giddy when foreseeing the future, telling himself that it will all work out in the end when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/although-the-optimist-may-be-a-little-giddy-when-foreseeing-the/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [“There is a possibility for change because all emotions are fleeting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/there-is-a-possibility-for-change-because-all-emotions-are-fleeting/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [When faced with adverse circumstances, if you can do something, do it and there is not need to worry. If you can't do anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/when-faced-with-adverse-circumstances-if-you-can-do-something-do-it/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [“The only ‘failure’ of quantum theory is its inability to provide a natural framework for our prejudices.”1”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/the-only-failure-of-quantum-theory-is-its-inability-to-provide-a/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [The mind is malleable. Our life can be greatly transformed by even a minimal change in how we manage our thoughts and perceive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/the-mind-is-malleable-our-life-can-be-greatly-transformed-by-even-a/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time. You could go from love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/mind-training-is-based-on-the-idea-that-two-opposite-mental-factors/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) [Explore all 108 Matthieu Ricard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) James Nayler > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthieu Ricard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the-happiness-or-suffering-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the-happiness-or-suffering-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/matthieu-ricard-4004_evil_good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the_175572.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others” — Matthieu Ricard", "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": "Matthieu Ricard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Good and evil exist only in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the-happiness-or-suffering-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/good-and-evil-exist-only-in-terms-of-the-happiness-or-suffering-they/#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 } } ] } ```