--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stevie herself believed that evil began…" description: "\"“Stevie herself believed that evil began in small acts of selfishness, banal cruelties in a normal day; their horror was that they were casual. To be c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/miranda-darling-263727_good-and-evil_stevie-herself-believed-that-evil-began_2020120.jpg" --- # Stevie herself believed that evil began in small acts of… ![“Stevie herself believed that evil began in small acts of selfishness, banal cruelties in a normal day; their horror was that they were casual. To be casual with the lives of others was evil. This was an uncomfortable idea because it meant that everyone had the potential to influence the balance of…” quote by Miranda Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/miranda-darling-263727_good-and-evil_stevie-herself-believed-that-evil-began_2020120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/miranda-darling-263727_good-and-evil_stevie-herself-believed-that-evil-began_2020120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/miranda-darling-263727_good-and-evil_stevie-herself-believed-that-evil-began_2020120.jpg) > ““Stevie herself believed that evil began in small acts of selfishness, banal cruelties in a normal day; their horror was that they were casual. To be casual with the lives of others was evil. This was an uncomfortable idea because it meant that everyone had the potential to influence the balance of good and evil on the earth. It demanded that we take individual responsibility.”” [Miranda Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-darling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evil begins with small selfish acts; casual cruelty is evil; everyone must take responsibility for influencing good and evil. **In simple terms:** Small selfish acts can be evil; we must act responsibly. Key Takeaway Practice mindful kindness daily. Themes evil responsibility morality selfishness humanity choice Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - community service - ethical decision making - education - activism - personal reflection Key Concepts ethics philosophy social psychology Questions to Reflect On - What small actions could you change? - How do you hold yourself accountable? A Different Perspective People may deny personal impact on larger evil. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-evil-1988570/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-began-3654692/) [Evil Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-uncomfortable-3654694/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Individual responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-responsibility/) [Lives of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-others/) [Normal Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-day/) [Self believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-believe/) [Small acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-acts/) [Stevie Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stevie-believed-3654693/) ## Related quotes > [“I found goodness in the place that I once believed to be evil; and found evil in the place that I once always knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-found-goodness-in-the-place-that-i-once-believed-to-be-evil-and/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“I always believed evil could be seen, sometimes in the smallest, quietest places. But those quiet places were also where you could see courage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/staci-hart/i-always-believed-evil-could-be-seen-sometimes-in-the-smallest/) [Staci Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/staci-hart/) > [“Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs. He believed the light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/armand-gamache-had-always-held-unfashionable-beliefs-he-believed-the/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [“You see the profound effect literature can have on life? Who says it's all a waste of time? If only I could produce one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/you-see-the-profound-effect-literature-can-have-on-life-who-says-it-s/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“How can I be strong when I do not know my own mind? I am lost." "That's not true. You are not lost. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/how-can-i-be-strong-when-i-do-not-know-my-own-mind-i-am-lost-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I was always encouraged to really root myself in a strong sense of self and not to believe all the nasty things people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-odudu/i-was-always-encouraged-to-really-root-myself-in-a-strong-sense-of/) [A. J. Odudu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-odudu/) > [Yours is the energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/yours-is-the-energy-that-makes-your-world-there-are-no-limitations-to/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [“Never let the thoughts of self-unworthiness re-arrange your prepared passion for failure. You can do it even if others say you can't. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/never-let-the-thoughts-of-self-unworthiness-re-arrange-your-prepared/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“That is what is called learning the truth. It is a good thing to learn the truth one's self. To first believe with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/that-is-what-is-called-learning-the-truth-it-is-a-good-thing-to-learn/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/there-are-no-limitations-to-the-self-except-those-you-believe-in/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“Then I realized I loved you. That was awful." "Awful!" "Loving you and knowing I couldn't have you was tearing me apart. Though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/then-i-realized-i-loved-you-that-was-awful-awful-loving-you-and/) [Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/) > [“We need to develop a better descriptive vocabulary for lying, a taxonomy, a way to distinguish intentional lies from unintentional ones, and a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rivka-galchen/we-need-to-develop-a-better-descriptive-vocabulary-for-lying-a/) [Rivka Galchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rivka-galchen/) > [Be the strongest in urself………](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-the-strongest-in-urself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We may not have everything in life. But we can work with honesty, integrity, and passion to achieve the things that we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-may-not-have-everything-in-life-but-we-can-work-with-honesty/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [Even if other write up don't write your self off, but only believe in yourself emptiness is no mans island so you can decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-if-other-write-up-don-t-write-your-self-off-but-only-believe-in/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Stevie herself believed that evil began in small acts of selfishness, banal cruelties in a normal day; their horror was that they were casual. To be casual with the lives of others was evil. This was an uncomfortable idea because it meant that everyone had the potential to influence the balance of good and evil on the earth. 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