---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what is the greatest evil? If you are…"
description: "\"But what is the greatest evil? If you are going to epitomize evil, what is it? Is it the bomb? The greatest evil that one has to fight constantly, ever..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/patrick-mcgooha-268419_evil_but-what-is-the-greatest-evil-if-you-are_1747535.jpg"
---

#  But what is the greatest evil? If you are going to…

![“But what is the greatest evil? If you are going to epitomize evil, what is it? Is it the bomb? The greatest evil that one has to fight constantly, every minute of the day until one dies, is the worse part of oneself.” quote by Patrick McGooha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/patrick-mcgooha-268419_evil_but-what-is-the-greatest-evil-if-you-are_1747535.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/patrick-mcgooha-268419_evil_but-what-is-the-greatest-evil-if-you-are_1747535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/patrick-mcgooha-268419_evil_but-what-is-the-greatest-evil-if-you-are_1747535.jpg)

> “But what is the greatest evil? If you are going to epitomize evil, what is it? Is it the bomb? The greatest evil that one has to fight constantly, every minute of the day until one dies, is the worse part of oneself.”

[Patrick McGooha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgooha/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The greatest evil is the worst part of oneself, a constant internal battle.

**In simple terms:** Self‑destruction is the deepest evil.

Key Takeaway

Address inner flaws to reduce suffering.

Themes

self‑reflection evil inner conflict

Mood

introspective serious

Type

Evil:1 Every Minute:0 Greatest Evil:1 Evil Going:0 Epitomize Evil:0 Evil Fight:0 Evil Bomb:0

When to use this quote

- daily life
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

personal development mental health

Questions to Reflect On

- What part of yourself feels like evil?
- How can you transform inner conflict?

A Different Perspective

Self‑criticism may be harsh.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Epitomize Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epitomize-evil-1575439/) [Every Minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-minute/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-bomb-1575441/) [Evil Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-fight-1575440/) [Evil Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-going-594322/) [Greatest Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-evil-543098/)

## Related quotes

> [The greatest evil that one has to fight constantly, every minute of the day until one dies, is the worst part of oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/the-greatest-evil-that-one-has-to-fight-constantly-every-minute-of/)

[Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/)

> [“If you look at evil, evil is going to look right back at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-martin/if-you-look-at-evil-evil-is-going-to-look-right-back-at-you/)

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> [Oh, you’re going to die all right. All of you. And for what you’ve done to my brother you will suffer unimaginably! (Kessar) Yada,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/oh-you-re-going-to-die-all-right-all-of-you-and-for-what-you-ve-done/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“If you look in the face of evil, evil is going to look right back at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-martin/if-you-look-in-the-face-of-evil-evil-is-going-to-look-right-back-at/)

[Jude Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-martin/)

> [“And in every one of us, there's a war going on. It's a civil war. I don't care who you are, I don't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/and-in-every-one-of-us-there-s-a-war-going-on-it-s-a-civil-war-i-don/)

[Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/)

> [The contest is not between us and them, but between good and evil, and if those who would fight evil adopt the ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-contest-is-not-between-us-and-them-but-between-good-and-evil-and/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The world of superheroes is black and white; the world of monsters is not. Sometimes you need evil to fight evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-langley/the-world-of-superheroes-is-black-and-white-the-world-of-monsters-is/)

[Donna Langley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-langley/)

> [To fight evil is to fight ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/to-fight-evil-is-to-fight-ourselves/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [We sometimes feel the shadows have got hold of us, the shadows of evil. But still, it's up to us to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-totheroh/we-sometimes-feel-the-shadows-have-got-hold-of-us-the-shadows-of-evil/)

[Dan Totheroh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-totheroh/)

> [Duty is but a pot. It holds whatever is put in it, from the greatest evil to the greatest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/duty-is-but-a-pot-it-holds-whatever-is-put-in-it-from-the-greatest/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [No man can be brave who thinks pain the greatest evil; nor temperate, who considers pleasure the highest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/no-man-can-be-brave-who-thinks-pain-the-greatest-evil-nor-temperate/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-greatest-evil-is-not-done-in-those-sordid-dens-of-evil-that/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [I do not believe I have any immortality. The greatest evil in the world today is the Christian religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/i-do-not-believe-i-have-any-immortality-the-greatest-evil-in-the/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [Pleasure, or wrong or rightly understood, Our greatest evil, or our greatest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/pleasure-or-wrong-or-rightly-understood-our-greatest-evil-or-our/)

[Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/)

> [“Hope is the greatest gift and the greatest evil...Hope saved us and hope might yet kill us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/hope-is-the-greatest-gift-and-the-greatest-evil-hope-saved-us-and/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

## 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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [ 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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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[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/)

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[Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/)

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