--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She is best who is least spoken of among…" description: "\"She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.\" — Pericles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png" --- # She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for… ![“She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.” quote by Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png) > “She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.” [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Those who are spoken of least, whether good or bad, are the most virtuous. **In simple terms:** Quiet reputation indicates true virtue. Key Takeaway Value humility over fame. Themes virtue humility reputation Mood reflective serious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - public service - personal conduct Key Concepts ethics social perception Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize true virtue in quiet individuals? - What risks arise from undervaluing modesty? A Different Perspective Society may still reward loudness over quiet virtue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [In the hearts of men lies both good and evil. The two coexist. Some men become good, and others become evil. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumiko-takahashi/in-the-hearts-of-men-lies-both-good-and-evil-the-two-coexist-some-men/) [Rumiko Takahashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumiko-takahashi/) > [“We learn that there are in creation, Beings - perhaps very numerous - both good and evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whatley/we-learn-that-there-are-in-creation-beings-perhaps-very-numerous-both/) Richard Whatley > [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [All of the films I have made, that I have chosen to make, are all about the thin line between good and evil. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/all-of-the-films-i-have-made-that-i-have-chosen-to-make-are-all-about/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [The meaning of good and bad, of better and worse, is simply helping or hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-meaning-of-good-and-bad-of-better-and-worse-is-simply-helping-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I will not live out of me I will not see with others' eyes My good is good, my evil ill I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-will-not-live-out-of-me-i-will-not-see-with-others-eyes-my-good-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [In fine, a life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fine-a-life-of-good-or-evil-the-hope-of-heaven-or-the-despair-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He was not Evil, for even Evil has a certain vitality — Bel-Shamharoth was the flip side of the coin of which Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-was-not-evil-for-even-evil-has-a-certain-vitality-bel-shamharoth/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. —ISAIAH 5:20”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cahn/woe-to-those-who-call-evil-good-and-good-evil-who-put-darkness-for/) [Jonathan Cahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cahn/) > [There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/there-surely-is-in-human-nature-an-inherent-propensity-to-extract-all/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [I believe it's true that there's good and evil in everyone and it's a constant struggle to have your better angels prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-believe-it-s-true-that-there-s-good-and-evil-in-everyone-and-it-s-a/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [In the struggle of good against evil, it's always the people who get killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-struggle-of-good-against-evil-it-s-always-the-people-who-get/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Pericles > [Your great glory is not to be inferior to what you have been given by nature, and the greatest glory of a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/your-great-glory-is-not-to-be-inferior-to-what-you-have-been-given-by/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Although only a few may originate a policy, we are all able to judge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/although-only-a-few-may-originate-a-policy-we-are-all-able-to-judge-it/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time is the king of all men, he is their parent and their grave, and gives them what he will and not what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-is-the-king-of-all-men-he-is-their-parent-and-their-grave-and/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/what-you-leave-behind-is-not-what-is-engraved-in-stone-monuments-but/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [For grief is felt not so much for the want of what we have never known, as for the loss of that to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/for-grief-is-felt-not-so-much-for-the-want-of-what-we-have-never/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/just-because-you-do-not-take-an-interest-in-politics-doesn-t-mean/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [All who have taken it upon themselves to rule over others have incurred hatred and unpopularity for a time; but if one has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/all-who-have-taken-it-upon-themselves-to-rule-over-others-have/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it, the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/as-for-poverty-no-one-need-be-ashamed-to-admit-it-the-real-shame-is/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies' designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/i-am-more-afraid-of-our-own-mistakes-than-of-our-enemies-designs/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs not as harmless but as a useless character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/we-alone-regard-a-man-who-takes-no-interest-in-public-affairs-not-as/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [“Wait for that wisest of all counselores, Time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/wait-for-that-wisest-of-all-counselores-time/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Trees, though they are cut and loped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/trees-though-they-are-cut-and-loped-grow-up-again-quickly-but-if-men/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Time as he grows old teaches many lessons. - Aeschylus Time is the wisest counselor of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/time-as-he-grows-old-teaches-many-lessons-aeschylus-time-is-the/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [In private matters everyone is equal before the law. In public matters, when it is a question of putting power and responsibility into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/in-private-matters-everyone-is-equal-before-the-law-in-public-matters/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [If Athens shall appear great to you, consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, and by men who learned their duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/if-athens-shall-appear-great-to-you-consider-then-that-her-glories/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) [Explore all 59 Pericles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) ## 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": "She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pericles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/pericles-11474_evil_she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among_390757.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She is best who is least spoken of among men, whether for good or evil.” — Pericles", "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": "Pericles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "She is best who is least...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/she-is-best-who-is-least-spoken-of-among-men-whether-for-good-or-evil/#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 } } ] } ```