--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most evil person I ever met was a…" description: "\"The most evil person I ever met was a toss-up between Pablo Picasso and the publisher-crook Robert Maxwell.\" — Paul Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/paul-johnson-4585_artist_the-most-evil-person-i-ever-met-was-a-to_2043767.png" --- # The most evil person I ever met was a toss-up between… ![“The most evil person I ever met was a toss-up between Pablo Picasso and the publisher-crook Robert Maxwell.” quote by Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/paul-johnson-4585_artist_the-most-evil-person-i-ever-met-was-a-to_2043767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/paul-johnson-4585_artist_the-most-evil-person-i-ever-met-was-a-to_2043767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/paul-johnson-4585_artist_the-most-evil-person-i-ever-met-was-a-to_2043767.png) > “The most evil person I ever met was a toss-up between Pablo Picasso and the publisher-crook Robert Maxwell.” [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The most evil person he met was either Picasso, an artist, or Maxwell, a corrupt publisher, highlighting moral ambiguity in fame. **In simple terms:** Both were morally questionable. Key Takeaway Question the ethics of celebrated figures. Themes art media corruption morality celebrity Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - media criticism - art appraisal - publishing ethics - historical research - public discourse Key Concepts ethical critique historical analysis power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do we reconcile talent with immorality? - Can fame excuse unethical behavior? A Different Perspective Complex personalities resist simple labeling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Between](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between/) [Crooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crooks/) [Ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ever/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-person/) [Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maxwell/) [Met](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/met/) [Mets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mets/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pablo-picasso/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picasso/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Robert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert-maxwell-3817431/) [Toss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toss/) ## Related quotes > [“One of those adversaries was Kevin Maxwell, the privileged son of a hard-charging UK media mogul. Anyone who had taken on Maxwell and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ackerman/one-of-those-adversaries-was-kevin-maxwell-the-privileged-son-of-a/) [Dan Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ackerman/) > [“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. —Pablo Picasso”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-b-burger/there-is-no-abstract-art-you-must-always-start-with-something/) [Edward B. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-b-burger/) > ['Le Reve' may be one of the three best pictures Pablo Picasso ever painted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/le-reve-may-be-one-of-the-three-best-pictures-pablo-picasso-ever/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) > [“But, of course, of course, I imitated everyone! 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Si es buena no la malogres; si no lo es, no la estropees más” Pablo Picasso.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jota-norte/tu-mejor-capital-es-tu-salud-aprov-chala-si-es-buena-no-la-malogres/) [Jota Norte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jota-norte/) > [ \[Pablo\] Picasso was born in my hometown, in Málaga, so I have this of strange connection with his persona and with what he did.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-banderas/pablo-picasso-was-born-in-my-hometown-in-m-laga-so-i-have-this-of/) [Antonio Banderas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-banderas/) > [Pablo Picasso was generous. But he always signed and dedicated his gifts even when he knew that people would sell them because they needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-picasso/pablo-picasso-was-generous-but-he-always-signed-and-dedicated-his/) [Claude Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-picasso/) > [“Pablo Picasso rode on the crest of the Modern Art wave. Several”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brody/pablo-picasso-rode-on-the-crest-of-the-modern-art-wave-several/) [Paul Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brody/) > [We are the two great painters of this era; you are in the Egyptian style, I in themodern style. (to Pablo Picasso)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rousseau/we-are-the-two-great-painters-of-this-era-you-are-in-the-egyptian/) [Henri Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rousseau/) > [“Because life, as Pablo Picasso averred, 'is a very bad novel', it has to be reworked through the writers' suffering into something much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cirilo-f-bautista/because-life-as-pablo-picasso-averred-is-a-very-bad-novel-it-has-to/) [Cirilo F. 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Alongside it stands the lovely Notre-Dame-de-Vie Chapel with its 13th-century bell tower, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/our-farm-is-a-15-minute-walk-to-pablo-picasso-s-last-home-alongside/) [Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/) ## More by Paul Johnson > [“Partly by accident, partly by instinct, partly by deliberate contrivance, he was the first intellectual systematically to exploit the guilt of the privileged. 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So the eighth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/when-we-are-dealing-with-concepts-like-freedom-and-equality-it-is/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Margaret Thatcher had more impact on the world than any woman ruler since Catherine the Great of Russia. Not only did she turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/margaret-thatcher-had-more-impact-on-the-world-than-any-woman-ruler/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Wisdom lies not in possessing knowledge - which quickly becomes outdated - but in perpetually seeking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/wisdom-lies-not-in-possessing-knowledge-which-quickly-becomes/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [The planet Earth, though not threatened with destruction by man-made global warming, is by no means indestructible. There are many unpredictable events within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-planet-earth-though-not-threatened-with-destruction-by-man-made/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“As Khrushchev put it, “He prodded the capitalist world with the tip of his bayonet.” He himself put it, “If I see a door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/as-khrushchev-put-it-he-prodded-the-capitalist-world-with-the-tip-of/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“We must never forget that the settlement of what is now the United States was only part of a larger enterprise. 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In my view as a historian, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/if-anti-semitism-is-a-variety-of-racism-it-is-a-most-peculiar-variety/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) [Explore all 109 Paul Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. 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