--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good and evil - I don't believe that…" description: "\"Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out there, anywhere, something called good and something called evil.\" — Richard Dawkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg" --- # Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out… ![“Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out there, anywhere, something called good and something called evil.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg) > “Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out there, anywhere, something called good and something called evil.” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good and evil are human constructs, not absolute forces existing independently in the world. **In simple terms:** Good and evil are ideas we create. Key Takeaway Question moral absolutes and consider relativism. Themes morality relativism human constructs Mood inquisitive neutral Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - cultural debates - personal decision making - education Key Concepts ethics philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel an innate sense of right or wrong? - How does culture shape your moral judgments? A Different Perspective Some argue innate moral instincts exist beyond culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Called Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-evil-1400192/) [Called Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-good-445386/) [Don Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-believe/) [Don't believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-t-believe/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Good evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-evil/) [Hanging out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanging-out/) ## Related quotes > [“Beware when wrong-doing is called good and right-doing is called evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/beware-when-wrong-doing-is-called-good-and-right-doing-is-called-evil/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [I once heard a spiritual man say that he was not so much astonished at the things done by a soul in mortal sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/i-once-heard-a-spiritual-man-say-that-he-was-not-so-much-astonished/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [“normal is an opinion from a man just like the rest of us, to function just like society is an idea, that to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tashie-mckay/normal-is-an-opinion-from-a-man-just-like-the-rest-of-us-to-function/) [Tashie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tashie-mckay/) > [I don't believe so much in good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotte-verbeek/i-don-t-believe-so-much-in-good-and-evil/) [Lotte Verbeek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotte-verbeek/) > [Some people are called to be a good sailor. Some people have a calling to be a good tiller of the land. Some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/some-people-are-called-to-be-a-good-sailor-some-people-have-a-calling/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [There is an old illusion. It is called good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/there-is-an-old-illusion-it-is-called-good-and-evil/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Again, although I'm not a particularly religious person, I go back to the religious left that I come out of: There are moral imperatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/again-although-i-m-not-a-particularly-religious-person-i-go-back-to/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [It is called a Good Friday because of the hope we have in Him. Keep the faith, our God is faithful to the end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-called-a-good-friday-because-of-the-hope-we-have-in-him-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to be called a good loser. A good loser is still a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu-ungar/i-don-t-want-to-be-called-a-good-loser-a-good-loser-is-still-a-loser/) [Stu Ungar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stu-ungar/) > [The translation called good has original value as a work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedetto-croce/the-translation-called-good-has-original-value-as-a-work-of-art/) [Benedetto Croce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedetto-croce/) > [“We are not called upon to do all the good that is possible, but only that which we can do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/we-are-not-called-upon-to-do-all-the-good-that-is-possible-but-only/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [But then in what way are things called good? They do not seem to be like the things that only chance to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/but-then-in-what-way-are-things-called-good-they-do-not-seem-to-be/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The invisible thing called a Good Name is made up of the breath of numbers that speak well of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-invisible-thing-called-a-good-name-is-made-up-of-the-breath-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are not called upon to do all the good possible, but only that which we can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/we-are-not-called-upon-to-do-all-the-good-possible-but-only-that/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [I don't think anyone gets bored of being called good-looking. We are all vain in one way or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawad-khan/i-don-t-think-anyone-gets-bored-of-being-called-good-looking-we-are/) [Fawad Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawad-khan/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out there, anywhere, something called good and something called evil.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there-is-hanging-out-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there-is-hanging-out-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/richard-dawkins-115_believe_good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there_1727507.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good and evil - I don't believe that there is hanging out there, anywhere, something called good and…” — Richard Dawkins", "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": "Richard Dawkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Good and evil - I don't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there-is-hanging-out-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/good-and-evil-i-don-t-believe-that-there-is-hanging-out-there/#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 } } ] } ```