Business Quote by Richard Branson
“Most "necessary evils" are far more evil than necessary.”
About This Quote
What are deemed necessary evils often cause more harm than they purportedly prevent.
In simple terms: Necessary evils can be more harmful than needed.
Key Takeaway
Question the true necessity of harmful actions.
Themes
ethics
consequences
policy
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- government regulation
- personal decisions
- organizational change
Key Concepts
moral calculus
risk assessment
Questions to Reflect On
- When is an evil truly necessary?
- Can alternatives replace harmful measures?
A Different Perspective
Sometimes harmful actions are justified for greater good.
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)