--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature is not evil. The world…" description: "\"Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its shoulders, and people get knocked off. The earth, for geological reasons that are well known, is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg" --- # Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its… ![“Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its shoulders, and people get knocked off. The earth, for geological reasons that are well known, is a fairly risky place to live. To be evil, you have to have intent. Any remarkable natural happening in which no human will is employed cannot be…” quote by Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg) > “Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its shoulders, and people get knocked off. The earth, for geological reasons that are well known, is a fairly risky place to live. To be evil, you have to have intent. Any remarkable natural happening in which no human will is employed cannot be regarded as evil.” [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Natural events lack intent, so they cannot be morally evil; evil requires conscious intention. **In simple terms:** Nature isn’t evil; intent matters. Key Takeaway Recognize intent as key to moral judgment. Themes ethics nature intentionality Mood analytical neutral Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - environmental policy - legal responsibility - personal ethics Key Concepts moral philosophy naturalism Questions to Reflect On - Can we hold nature accountable? - How do we differentiate intent from consequence? A Different Perspective Some natural disasters cause suffering, blurring moral lines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Cannot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannot/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Employed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employed/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-intent-1899103/) [Evil world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-world/) [Fairly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairly/) [Geological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geological/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happening/) [Happenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happenings/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-will/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intent/) [Knocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knocked/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-evil-911728/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasionally/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Places to live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/places-to-live/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Regarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarded/) [Regarded Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarded-evil-1779412/) [Remarkable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remarkable/) [Risky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risky/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [Well known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-known/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Where destruction is the motive, unity is dangerous. For example, if I have evil intent and I galvanize that evil intent with many others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/where-destruction-is-the-motive-unity-is-dangerous-for-example-if-i/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [ “The passion for vengeance is a terrifyingly strong one, very easily and probably inevitably wrought up by such evidence \[of atrocities\], even at our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-passion-for-vengeance-is-a-terrifyingly-strong-one-very-easily/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [All of those broken bones in northern Japan, all of those broken lives and those broken homes prompt us to remember what in calmer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/all-of-those-broken-bones-in-northern-japan-all-of-those-broken-lives/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“(Precisely because of this power that hope has of making the suffering hold out, the Greeks regarded it as the evil of evils, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/precisely-because-of-this-power-that-hope-has-of-making-the-suffering/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Their bodies lay flatly on the rocks, and their eyes regarded him with evil interest: but it does not appear that Mr. Fison was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/their-bodies-lay-flatly-on-the-rocks-and-their-eyes-regarded-him-with/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [We tolerate, even promote, many things we once regarded as evil, wrong, or immoral. And then we seek "explanations" for an act that seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/we-tolerate-even-promote-many-things-we-once-regarded-as-evil-wrong/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [I had hated these ponies for the part they played in my father's death but now I realized the notion was fanciful, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-portis/i-had-hated-these-ponies-for-the-part-they-played-in-my-father-s/) [Charles Portis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-portis/) > [So it is useless to evade reality, because it only makes it more virulent in the end. But instead, look steadfastly into the slit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-thomas/so-it-is-useless-to-evade-reality-because-it-only-makes-it-more/) [Caitlin Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-thomas/) > [“I now understood darker emotions within themselves are not evil. It is the intent of the person who feels them that determines their fate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/i-now-understood-darker-emotions-within-themselves-are-not-evil-it-is/) [Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/) > [The true nature of evil is that it is so very casual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/the-true-nature-of-evil-is-that-it-is-so-very-casual/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“Say to yourself first thing in the morning: today I shall meet people who are meddling, ungrateful, aggressive, treacherous, malicious, unsocial. All this has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/say-to-yourself-first-thing-in-the-morning-today-i-shall-meet-people/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“How do we still believe that human nature is not evil when 60 years old men rape 3 years innocent girls?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/how-do-we-still-believe-that-human-nature-is-not-evil-when-60-years/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [I don't think that humans are, in our nature, we're evil or anything like that. But I do think there's a demon in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-don-t-think-that-humans-are-in-our-nature-we-re-evil-or-anything/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [It is also important to understand that a hidden nature is not always an evil nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-goodman/it-is-also-important-to-understand-that-a-hidden-nature-is-not-always/) [Alison Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-goodman/) > [...in the ways of Nature there is no evil to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/in-the-ways-of-nature-there-is-no-evil-to-be-found/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) ## More by Simon Winchester > [“The very name Impressionism is taken from an Atlantic Ocean painting - that of Monet, of sunrise in the harbor of Le Havre, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-very-name-impressionism-is-taken-from-an-atlantic-ocean-painting/) [Simon winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [My wife is very interested in fashion. I am absolutely not. I couldn't give a toss. Fashion is a perfectly valid thing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/my-wife-is-very-interested-in-fashion-i-am-absolutely-not-i-couldn-t/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“or of oats (“ a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people”),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/or-of-oats-a-grain-which-in-england-is-generally-given-to-horses-but/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [To be perfectly honest the old habits, specifically deadlines, still very much inform what I do. I am brutally disciplined about getting manuscripts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/to-be-perfectly-honest-the-old-habits-specifically-deadlines-still/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [I do as much bookish research as I can but when I sit down to write, often I think, 'Wait, I was there.' That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/i-do-as-much-bookish-research-as-i-can-but-when-i-sit-down-to-write/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [We should all live in central or southwest Queensland in Australia, which is geologically stable. Or Kansas or Nebraska, because it's relatively geologically stable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/we-should-all-live-in-central-or-southwest-queensland-in-australia/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“The scientific world of the time was in the midst of a terrible ferment, with discoveries and realizations coming at an unseemly rate. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-scientific-world-of-the-time-was-in-the-midst-of-a-terrible/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [The nature of catastrophe is, after all, reasonably unvarying in the way it ruins, destroys, wounds and devastates. But if something can be learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-nature-of-catastrophe-is-after-all-reasonably-unvarying-in-the/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“and his youngest sister, Henrietta, lived to a great age, also beside the sea, with a vast collection of cats—having previously traveled around England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/and-his-youngest-sister-henrietta-lived-to-a-great-age-also-beside/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [I find the science behind major natural events almost more interesting than the way in which those same events wreak their effects on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/i-find-the-science-behind-major-natural-events-almost-more/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [The most difficult task for anyone wandering through a foreign land with the hope of gaining some insight into it is the profound need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-most-difficult-task-for-anyone-wandering-through-a-foreign-land/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“The cities of the eastern American fall line are well known today—Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Philadelphia—even though the part that the very similar accidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-cities-of-the-eastern-american-fall-line-are-well-known-today/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“Think simple, Murray kept insisting: Think simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/think-simple-murray-kept-insisting-think-simple/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [So research is a terribly imperfect science, and you learn an awful lot more after you've published a book, because people keep writing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/so-research-is-a-terribly-imperfect-science-and-you-learn-an-awful/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [Having been in the newspaper business for a long, long time, I often wonder, Why do we actually need to know about something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/having-been-in-the-newspaper-business-for-a-long-long-time-i-often/) [Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) [Explore all 36 Simon Winchester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) ## More Any quotes > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The system in Germany is different, as you sign up with a company for two or three years, and you work exclusively with them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wlaschiha/the-system-in-germany-is-different-as-you-sign-up-with-a-company-for/) [Tom Wlaschiha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wlaschiha/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/) [Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/) [Browse all 6,938 Any quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its shoulders, and people get knocked off. The earth, for geological reasons that are well known, is a fairly risky place to live. To be evil, you have to have intent. Any remarkable natural happening in which no human will is employed cannot be regarded as evil.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simon Winchester" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionally-shrugs-its-shoulders-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Any" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionally-shrugs-its-shoulders-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/simon-winchester-17875_any_nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionall_1227628.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nature is not evil. The world occasionally shrugs its shoulders, and people get knocked off. The earth, for…” — Simon Winchester", "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": "Simon Winchester", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nature is not evil. The world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionally-shrugs-its-shoulders-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/nature-is-not-evil-the-world-occasionally-shrugs-its-shoulders-and/#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 } } ] } ```