---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never let a man imagine that he can…"
description: "\"Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by evil means, without sinning against his own soul. The evil effect on himself is certain.\" — Ro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png"
---

#  Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by…

![“Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by evil means, without sinning against his own soul. The evil effect on himself is certain.” quote by Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png)

> “Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by evil means, without sinning against his own soul. The evil effect on himself is certain.”

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

## About This Quote

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

Believing one can achieve good goals through immoral actions inevitably harms one's own conscience.

**In simple terms:** Evil means corrupt the soul.

Key Takeaway

Avoid unethical shortcuts.

Themes

ethics conscience integrity

Mood

reflective serious

Type

moral philosophical

When to use this quote

- business decisions
- personal relationships
- political actions
- creative projects

Key Concepts

moral philosophy self‑deception

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you think of a time you justified a bad means?
- How does this principle affect modern leadership?

A Different Perspective

Even if outcomes seem beneficial, the inner damage persists.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [End Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-evil-1546836/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-means-1415443/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) [Sinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinning/) [Sinning Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinning-soul-5678467/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-evil-1539637/)

## Related quotes

> [In what way, or by what manner of working, God changes a soul from evil to good, how He impregnates the barren rock--the priceless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/in-what-way-or-by-what-manner-of-working-god-changes-a-soul-from-evil/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Ya called Fargo yet?” “No, I’ve been too busy trying to destroy the Guild and corrupt Simon’s soul. Being evil is a full-time job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/ya-called-fargo-yet-no-i-ve-been-too-busy-trying-to-destroy-the-guild/)

[Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/)

> [False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/false-words-are-not-only-evil-in-themselves-but-they-infect-the-soul/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [False language, evil in itself, infects the soul with evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/false-language-evil-in-itself-infects-the-soul-with-evil/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [Music is a part of someone's soul. Music is a feeling for me. And if that soul is evil, then I don't want anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yungblud/music-is-a-part-of-someone-s-soul-music-is-a-feeling-for-me-and-if/)

[Yungblud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yungblud/)

> [Sometimes it’s a sort of indulgence to think the worst of ourselves. We say, ‘Now I have reached the bottom of the pit, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/sometimes-it-s-a-sort-of-indulgence-to-think-the-worst-of-ourselves/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [“You think that your laws correct evil - they only increase it. There is but one way to end evil - by rendering good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/you-think-that-your-laws-correct-evil-they-only-increase-it-there-is/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“As long as the book is read, people would die for it. She had been wrong to wait, wrong to think a safer time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-garrett/as-long-as-the-book-is-read-people-would-die-for-it-she-had-been/)

[Ginger Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-garrett/)

> [“Such is the end of the evil-doer: the death of a sinner always reflects his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/such-is-the-end-of-the-evil-doer-the-death-of-a-sinner-always/)

[Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/)

> [If every man, ...ceased to hate and blame every other man for his own failures and shortcomings, we would see the end of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/if-every-man-ceased-to-hate-and-blame-every-other-man-for-his-own/)

[Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/)

> [There is only one way to put an end to evil, and that is to do good for evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/there-is-only-one-way-to-put-an-end-to-evil-and-that-is-to-do-good/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-hope-that-real-love-and-truth-are-stronger-in-the-end-than-any-evil/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [But the thing about 'Narcos' is that in the end, evil does not prevail. In the end, ambition destroys everything that you worked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-ruiz/but-the-thing-about-narcos-is-that-in-the-end-evil-does-not-prevail/)

[Teresa Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-ruiz/)

> [“If we pray we shall put an end to evil intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-we-pray-we-shall-put-an-end-to-evil-intentions/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [While early childhood experiences may impel, they do not compel. In the end, evil is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/while-early-childhood-experiences-may-impel-they-do-not-compel-in-the/)

[Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/)

## More by Robert Southey

> [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [It has been more wittily than charitably said that hell is paved with good intentions; they have their place in heaven also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/it-has-been-more-wittily-than-charitably-said-that-hell-is-paved-with/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Order is the sanity of the mind, the health of the body, the peace of the city, the security of the state. As the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/order-is-the-sanity-of-the-mind-the-health-of-the-body-the-peace-of/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Whatever strengthens our local attachments is favorable both to individual and national character, our home, our birthplace, our native land. Think for a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/whatever-strengthens-our-local-attachments-is-favorable-both-to/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [I have told you of the Spaniard who always put on his spectacles when about to eat cherries, that they might look bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/i-have-told-you-of-the-spaniard-who-always-put-on-his-spectacles-when/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [My days among the dead are passed; Around me I behold, Where'er these casual eyes are cast, The mighty minds of old; My never-failing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/my-days-among-the-dead-are-passed-around-me-i-behold-where-er-these/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Love is indestructible. It's holy flame forever burneth; from Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/love-is-indestructible-it-s-holy-flame-forever-burneth-from-heaven-it/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Live as long as you may, the first twenty years are the longest half of your life. They appear so while they are passing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/live-as-long-as-you-may-the-first-twenty-years-are-the-longest-half/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Take away love, and not physical nature only, but the heart of the moral world, would be palsied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/take-away-love-and-not-physical-nature-only-but-the-heart-of-the/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Where Washington hath left His awful memory A light for after times!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/where-washington-hath-left-his-awful-memory-a-light-for-after-times/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/the-loss-of-a-friend-is-like-that-of-a-limb-time-may-heal-the-anguish/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Three things a wise man will not trust, The wind, the sunshine of an April day, And woman's plighted faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/three-things-a-wise-man-will-not-trust-the-wind-the-sunshine-of-an/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [She comes majestic with her swelling sails, The gallant Ship: along her watery way, Homeward she drives before the favouring gales; Now flirting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/she-comes-majestic-with-her-swelling-sails-the-gallant-ship-along-her/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [A wise judge, by the craft of the law, was never seduced from its purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/a-wise-judge-by-the-craft-of-the-law-was-never-seduced-from-its/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

> [Let us depart! the universal sun Confines not to one land his blessed beams; Nor is man rooted, like a tree, whose seed, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/let-us-depart-the-universal-sun-confines-not-to-one-land-his-blessed/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

[Explore all 116 Robert Southey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

[Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/)

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

[T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

[Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by evil means, without sinning against his own soul. The evil effect on himself is certain.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Southey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-pursue-a-good-end-by-evil-means/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-pursue-a-good-end-by-evil-means/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d8/robert-southey-4115_certain_never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-purs_722954.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Never let a man imagine that he can pursue a good end by evil means, without sinning against his own soul…” — Robert Southey",
                "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": "Robert Southey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Never let a man imagine that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-pursue-a-good-end-by-evil-means/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/never-let-a-man-imagine-that-he-can-pursue-a-good-end-by-evil-means/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
