--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such thing in man's nature as…" description: "\"There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and full resolve either for good or evil, except at the very moment of execution.\" — Nathaniel Hawt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg" --- # There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and… ![“There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and full resolve either for good or evil, except at the very moment of execution.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg) > “There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and full resolve either for good or evil, except at the very moment of execution.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature lacks fixed resolve; decisions solidify only at the moment of action, for good or evil. **In simple terms:** Resolve forms at the point of action. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of decisive moments. Themes morality human nature decision‑making volition Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - legal judgments - personal vows - ethical dilemmas - leadership choices Key Concepts ethics psychology free will Questions to Reflect On - When have you hesitated before acting? - What influences your final decision? A Different Perspective People can change intentions before acting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Resolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolve/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Wickedness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wickedness/) ## Related quotes > [Every year, I resolve to take good care of myself and stay in shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chambers/every-year-i-resolve-to-take-good-care-of-myself-and-stay-in-shape/) [Justin Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chambers/) > [The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcauley/the-simplest-and-most-practical-lesson-i-know-is-to-resolve-to-be/) [Catherine McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mcauley/) > [... it is curious how fatal it is, either to a situation or to an individual, or even to a name, if in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/it-is-curious-how-fatal-it-is-either-to-a-situation-or-to-an/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Let us take one day only in hands at a time. Resolve to do good today and better tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcauley/let-us-take-one-day-only-in-hands-at-a-time-resolve-to-do-good-today/) [Catherine McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mcauley/) > [“May God deliver us in the day of dark of evil moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/may-god-deliver-us-in-the-day-of-dark-of-evil-moment/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Evil is the moment when I lack the strength to be true to the Good that compels me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/evil-is-the-moment-when-i-lack-the-strength-to-be-true-to-the-good/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [WITCH, n. (1) Any ugly and repulsive old woman, in a wicked league with the devil. (2) A beautiful and attractive young woman, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/witch-n-1-any-ugly-and-repulsive-old-woman-in-a-wicked-league-with/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“If you think that you're so smart and holy, that means you haven't yet realized that a part of what we experience today...is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/if-you-think-that-you-re-so-smart-and-holy-that-means-you-haven-t-yet/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-langland/but-all-the-wickedness-in-the-world-which-man-may-do-or-think-is-no/) [William Langland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-langland/) > [A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/a-wicked-mortal-is-not-the-idea-of-god-he-is-little-else-than-the/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [“Ecclesiastes says: “Instead of justice there was wickedness, instead of righteousness, there was yet more wickedness…. But God will judge them all, both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/ecclesiastes-says-instead-of-justice-there-was-wickedness-instead-of/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I had not then learned the measure of “man’s inhumanity to man,” nor to what limitless extent of wickedness he will go for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-had-not-then-learned-the-measure-of-man-s-inhumanity-to-man-nor-to/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## 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. 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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": "There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and full resolve either for good or evil, except at the very moment of execution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-as-a-settled-and-full-resolve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-as-a-settled-and-full-resolve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-a_2809551.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no such thing in man's nature as a settled and full resolve either for good or evil, except at the…” — Nathaniel Hawthorne", "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no such thing in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-as-a-settled-and-full-resolve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-no-such-thing-in-man-s-nature-as-a-settled-and-full-resolve/#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 } } ] } ```