--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stopped believing there was a power of…" description: "\"I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what peo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/philip-pullman-525_believe_i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of_160685.jpg" --- # I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power… ![“I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are.” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/philip-pullman-525_believe_i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of_160685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/philip-pullman-525_believe_i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of_160685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/philip-pullman-525_believe_i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of_160685.jpg) > “I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are.” [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that moral concepts are human actions, not external forces. **In simple terms:** Good and evil are defined by deeds, not supernatural powers. Key Takeaway Judge actions, not labels. Themes morality human agency ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal decisions - social behavior - political leadership Key Concepts existentialism relativism Questions to Reflect On - How do you define good actions? - Can evil be purely accidental? A Different Perspective It may overlook innate moral intuitions or biological influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Good and Evil are names for what people do, not for what they are...stopped believing there was a power of good and evil. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/good-and-evil-are-names-for-what-people-do-not-for-what-they-are/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“When you stopped believing in God,” he went on, “did you stop believing in good and evil?” “No. But I stopped believing there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-stopped-believing-in-god-he-went-on-did-you-stop-believing/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“But I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/but-i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of-good-and-a-power-of-evil/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Whenever you believe that the evil outside you is greater than the evil inside you, a heartfelt pursuit of Christ will be replaced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-s-lane/whenever-you-believe-that-the-evil-outside-you-is-greater-than-the/) [Timothy S. Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-s-lane/) > [“fear in sooth holds so in check all mortals, because they see many operations go on in earth and heaven, the causes of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/fear-in-sooth-holds-so-in-check-all-mortals-because-they-see-many/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“For those who struggle to believe in a power GREATER than themselves, they can begin by believing in a power OTHER than themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-cox/for-those-who-struggle-to-believe-in-a-power-greater-than-themselves/) [Pamela Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-cox/) > [Beinq Thankful for what you Desire (believing) has a Power for Fulfilment. Termed The Power Of Gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rickosi/beinq-thankful-for-what-you-desire-believing-has-a-power-for/) [Richard Rickosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rickosi/) > [“Sometimes, when you get something new, you trick yourself into believing it has the power to change absolutely everything about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-vivian/sometimes-when-you-get-something-new-you-trick-yourself-into/) [Siobhan Vivian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-vivian/) > [“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. It is not enough that a thing be possible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inglath-cooper/faith-consists-in-believing-when-it-is-beyond-the-power-of-reason-to-2/) [Inglath Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inglath-cooper/) > [Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/faith-consists-in-believing-when-it-is-beyond-the-power-of-reason-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Believing that power is much more important than money and that money is much more important than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/believing-that-power-is-much-more-important-than-money-and-that-money/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Keep exploring. Keep dreaming. Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/keep-exploring-keep-dreaming-keep-asking-why-don-t-settle-for-what/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“By believing we have no power, we are giving up our power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-aitchison/by-believing-we-have-no-power-we-are-giving-up-our-power/) [Steven Aitchison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-aitchison/) > [Fear in sooth holds so in check all mortals, becasue thay see many operations go on in earth and heaven, the causes of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/fear-in-sooth-holds-so-in-check-all-mortals-becasue-thay-see-many/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [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/) ## More by Philip Pullman > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-don-t-need-lists-of-rights-and-wrongs-tables-of-do-s-and-don-ts-we/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-stolen-ideas-from-every-book-i-have-ever-read/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) [Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. 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