--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is there so ponderous in evil, that…" description: "\"What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg" --- # What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness… ![“What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg) > “What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!” [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. Evil's weight is disproportionate; minor wrongs can seem heavier than many good deeds, skewing moral balance. **In simple terms:** Small evils feel heavier than many goods. Key Takeaway Assess moral impact fairly. Themes ethics perception balance Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - legal judgments - personal guilt - social criticism Key Concepts moral calculus subjectivity justice Questions to Reflect On - What influences your perception of moral weight? - How can we balance minor and major actions? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on minor faults can obscure larger virtues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) ## Related quotes > [“But love, child, love is the root of all that is good, and the root of all things that are evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/but-love-child-love-is-the-root-of-all-that-is-good-and-the-root-of/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [The things evil people do these days surprises the devil himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-things-evil-people-do-these-days-surprises-the-devil-himself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are two kinds of evil people in this world. Those who do evil things and those who see evil things and don't try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mean-girls/there-are-two-kinds-of-evil-people-in-this-world-those-who-do-evil/) [Mean Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mean-girls/) > [I think almost anyone is capable of doing things that are evil or hurtful or harmful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-stevenson/i-think-almost-anyone-is-capable-of-doing-things-that-are-evil-or/) [Noelle Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-stevenson/) > [“There are many things evil people can take from you. However, they can never steal your ability to laugh and laugh loud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/there-are-many-things-evil-people-can-take-from-you-however-they-can/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Just as I’ve always known there are monsters in the world, monsters and things even more evil, I’ve always known that it is God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/just-as-i-ve-always-known-there-are-monsters-in-the-world-monsters/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [People do evil things because they are evil. Some people are evil in the way that some things are coloured indigo. They commit their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/people-do-evil-things-because-they-are-evil-some-people-are-evil-in/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Ignorance of all things is an evil neither terrible nor excessive, nor yet the greatest of all; but great cleverness and much learning, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/ignorance-of-all-things-is-an-evil-neither-terrible-nor-excessive-nor/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The three principal samskaras have to do with sex, money and power. In all those countless incarnations that one goes through in the religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-three-principal-samskaras-have-to-do-with-sex-money-and-power-in/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There's a difference between people who do hurtful things because they're evil and people who do bad things because of their circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/there-s-a-difference-between-people-who-do-hurtful-things-because/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [You can't just blame things on evil. Everyone's a human, so when people say that somebody's behaving 'inhuman,' it's not. It's very human -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-johnson/you-can-t-just-blame-things-on-evil-everyone-s-a-human-so-when-people/) [Eric Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-johnson/) > [“What then is good? The knowledge of things. What is evil? The lack of knowledge of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/what-then-is-good-the-knowledge-of-things-what-is-evil-the-lack-of/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [If only evil things are done by evil people... Life would be then safe, morally elevated, cozy - we know how to spot evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-only-evil-things-are-done-by-evil-people-life-would-be-then-safe/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [All spirits are enslaved which serve things evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/all-spirits-are-enslaved-which-serve-things-evil/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [There is some soul of goodness in things evil, Would men observingly distill it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-is-some-soul-of-goodness-in-things-evil-would-men-observingly/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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. 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": "What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that-a-thumb-s-bigness-of-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that-a-thumb-s-bigness-of-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_evil_what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that_2472495.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb's bigness of it should outweigh the mass of things not…” — 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": "What is there so ponderous in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that-a-thumb-s-bigness-of-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-is-there-so-ponderous-in-evil-that-a-thumb-s-bigness-of-it/#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 } } ] } ```