---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: have observed that when I wore the…"
description: "\"“have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3f/robert-louis-stevenson-289_good-and-evil_have-observed-that-when-i-wore-the-sembl_1901608.jpg"
---

#  have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward…

![“have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was…” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3f/robert-louis-stevenson-289_good-and-evil_have-observed-that-when-i-wore-the-sembl_1901608.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3f/robert-louis-stevenson-289_good-and-evil_have-observed-that-when-i-wore-the-sembl_1901608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3f/robert-louis-stevenson-289_good-and-evil_have-observed-that-when-i-wore-the-sembl_1901608.jpg)

> ““have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.””

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator notes that when he adopts a wholly evil persona, people instinctively recoil, revealing the innate mix of good and evil in humanity.

**In simple terms:** Evil appearance triggers fear, showing human duality.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how appearance influences perception.

Themes

human nature duality perception

Mood

uneasy reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal interactions
- leadership
- media representation

Key Concepts

psychology morality social reaction

Questions to Reflect On

- How does perceived evil affect trust?
- Can good and evil coexist in one person?

A Different Perspective

Pure evil is a social construct, not an absolute.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Edward Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edward-hyde-526082/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-edward-1134472/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Misgiving Flesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misgiving-flesh-2809405/) [Pure evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure-evil/)

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> [You hide your instinctive self and instead create a social self with lies. That's how people are able to get along with each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/you-hide-your-instinctive-self-and-instead-create-a-social-self-with/)

[Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/)

> [All human beings are commingled out of good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/all-human-beings-are-commingled-out-of-good-and-evil/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“Stevenson had originally conceived the novel as a straightforward horror yarn, involving a thief that invents a potion that changes his physical appearance for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/stevenson-had-originally-conceived-the-novel-as-a-straightforward/)

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> [“Talaith leaned forward, studied her youngest daughter. “You think you’re evil?” “Pure evil,” Izzy clarified, which got her a rather vicious glare from Rhi.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-aiken/talaith-leaned-forward-studied-her-youngest-daughter-you-think-you-re/)

[G.A. Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-aiken/)

> [“Of course, apologies are rarely acceptable to true believers - or to anyone who believes in \*pure\* good, or in pure evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/of-course-apologies-are-rarely-acceptable-to-true-believers-or-to/)

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> [“We can't sit around discussing pure evil without tea and biscuits, Iz. It's just not done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-aiken/we-can-t-sit-around-discussing-pure-evil-without-tea-and-biscuits-iz/)

[G.A. Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-aiken/)

> [“The acceptable is unacceptable. The truth is a lie. The good is pure evil. Even freedom has become a prison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-acceptable-is-unacceptable-the-truth-is-a-lie-the-good-is-pure/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [“My heart is pure. Pure evil!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-toriyama/my-heart-is-pure-pure-evil/)

[Akira Toriyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-toriyama/)

> [“price. There is no such thing as pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/price-there-is-no-such-thing-as-pure-good-or-pure-evil-least-of-all/)

[Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/)

## More by Robert Louis Stevenson

> [You must suffer me to go my own dark way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/you-must-suffer-me-to-go-my-own-dark-way/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [Nobody speaks of a beautifful view for 5 minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/nobody-speaks-of-a-beautifful-view-for-5-minutes/)

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> [“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. He is a fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/we-are-all-travelers-in-the-wilderness-of-this-world-and-the-best/)

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> [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

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> [Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/do-not-measure-success-by-today-s-harvest-measure-success-by-the/)

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> [Saints are sinners who kept on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/saints-are-sinners-who-kept-on-going/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/)

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> [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/)

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> [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/)

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> [“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/)

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