---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst things are done not by people…"
description: "\"“The worst things are done not by people who believe they are doing wrong, but by those who are convinced that they walk with the hand of God on one sh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png"
---

#  The worst things are done not by people who believe they…

![“The worst things are done not by people who believe they are doing wrong, but by those who are convinced that they walk with the hand of God on one shoulder.” quote by Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png)

> ““The worst things are done not by people who believe they are doing wrong, but by those who are convinced that they walk with the hand of God on one shoulder.””

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

## About This Quote

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

People commit worst acts believing they act with divine approval.

**In simple terms:** Divine belief justifies evil deeds.

Key Takeaway

Question authority claims.

Themes

morality religion power

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- political movements
- cult dynamics
- personal decisions

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy theology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you assess moral authority?
- What safeguards prevent misuse?

A Different Perspective

Blind faith can be manipulated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believe Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-doing/) [God Shoulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-shoulder-2104379/) [Hand God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-god/) [Hand Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-of-god/) [People Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-believe/) [Walk Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk-hand-1399566/)

## Related quotes

> [“Laughter is the hand of God on the shoulder of a troubled world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grady-nutt/laughter-is-the-hand-of-god-on-the-shoulder-of-a-troubled-world/)

[Grady Nutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grady-nutt/)

> [You can't walk hand in hand with God if you're still dancing with the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/you-can-t-walk-hand-in-hand-with-god-if-you-re-still-dancing-with-the/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [It is better to have God over your shoulder, than carry the world alone on your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-better-to-have-god-over-your-shoulder-than-carry-the-world/)

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

> [“I believe this country has already been painted by the hand of God. We can cover it over with our own creations, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-tawn-bergren/i-believe-this-country-has-already-been-painted-by-the-hand-of-god-we/)

[Lisa Tawn Bergren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-tawn-bergren/)

> [Do you not see the hand of God, which gives harmony, light, and love to the world? Do not the mountains, in the blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-andreyev/do-you-not-see-the-hand-of-god-which-gives-harmony-light-and-love-to/)

[Leonid Andreyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-andreyev/)

> [“Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God’s face is the essence of who He is. God’s hand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-henderson/worship-based-prayer-seeks-the-face-of-god-before-the-hand-of-god-god/)

[Daniel Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-henderson/)

> [Faith is obscure. By faith a man moves through darkness; but he moves securely, his hand in the hand of God. He is literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-farrell/faith-is-obscure-by-faith-a-man-moves-through-darkness-but-he-moves/)

[Walter Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-farrell/)

> [I want to be apart of something that can only be explained by the hand of God!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/i-want-to-be-apart-of-something-that-can-only-be-explained-by-the/)

[David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/)

> [The more we learn about the wonders of our universe, the more clearly we are going to perceive the hand of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-borman/the-more-we-learn-about-the-wonders-of-our-universe-the-more-clearly/)

[Frank Borman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-borman/)

> [Shakespeare's personages live and move as if they had just come from the hand of God, with a life that, though manifold, is one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/shakespeare-s-personages-live-and-move-as-if-they-had-just-come-from/)

[Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/)

> [The goal was scored a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-maradona/the-goal-was-scored-a-little-bit-by-the-hand-of-god-another-bit-by/)

[Diego Maradona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-maradona/)

> [“Destiny waits in the hand of god, shaping the still unshapen..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/destiny-waits-in-the-hand-of-god-shaping-the-still-unshapen/)

[T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/)

> [“What can I call a coincidence like that but the Hand of God?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-can-i-call-a-coincidence-like-that-but-the-hand-of-god/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Christ sits in the body at the right hand of God the Father, but we do not hold that the right hand of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-damascus/christ-sits-in-the-body-at-the-right-hand-of-god-the-father-but-we-do/)

[John of Damascus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-damascus/)

> [“said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shawcross/said-to-the-man-who-stood-at-the-gate-of-the-year-give-me-a-light/)

[William Shawcross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shawcross/)

## More by Stanley Bing

> [My favorite method of procrastination is to do something else that needs doing, but not quite so imminently. Sleeping is also good, as is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/my-favorite-method-of-procrastination-is-to-do-something-else-that/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“The truth is your servant, not your master. What is the truth, anyway? Does any of us really know what’s true? And is truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-truth-is-your-servant-not-your-master-what-is-the-truth-anyway/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> ["Hi," I said. She came over, licked my hand discreetly, allowed herself to be scratched for a time, chased her tail in a dignified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/hi-i-said-she-came-over-licked-my-hand-discreetly-allowed-herself-to/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“Fear is like fire. If you don’t know how to handle it, it can kill you. But if you use it correctly, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/fear-is-like-fire-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-handle-it-it-can-kill-you/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“Cows do not sell each other hay when they are hungry. Monkeys do not sell each other bananas. Only human beings can create the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/cows-do-not-sell-each-other-hay-when-they-are-hungry-monkeys-do-not/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“When I was a young man I worked for a very good company that was very well run by very nice people who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/when-i-was-a-young-man-i-worked-for-a-very-good-company-that-was-very/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“The beauty part of business warfare, unless your business is importing cocaine from Colombia or covering up a nuclear fuel spill in the Midwest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-beauty-part-of-business-warfare-unless-your-business-is-importing/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. That is the principal difference between a dog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/if-you-pick-up-a-starving-dog-and-make-him-prosperous-he-will-not/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“Don’t you ever turn your back on me when I’m talking. CITIGROUP SENIOR EXECUTIVE JAMIE DIMON TO THE COMPANY’S VICE CHAIRMAN, DERYCK MAUGHAN, AT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/don-t-you-ever-turn-your-back-on-me-when-i-m-talking-citigroup-senior/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“The ways to find one’s way to Enlightenment are many. There is prayer and fasting, and some try that to great effect, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-ways-to-find-one-s-way-to-enlightenment-are-many-there-is-prayer/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is,” he told his tormentors, and many Americans shook their heads in wonder, not only at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/it-depends-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is-he-told-his-tormentors/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“Solve problems, don’t create them. A huge number of very dislikable people have this aggravating habit of either creating problems they can then solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/solve-problems-don-t-create-them-a-huge-number-of-very-dislikable/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [After nearly 6,000 years of evidence on the subject, one thing stands clear: the people who end up as leaders in any organization, large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/after-nearly-6-000-years-of-evidence-on-the-subject-one-thing-stands/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. The Three Slogans of the Party George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/war-is-peace-freedom-is-slavery-ignorance-is-strength-the-three/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [“It was like being a fly on the wall at a meeting. JACK WELCH ON HIS JOB AT AGE TWELVE AS A CADDY FOR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/it-was-like-being-a-fly-on-the-wall-at-a-meeting-jack-welch-on-his/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

[Explore all 65 Stanley Bing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

## More Hand Of God quotes

> [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [“said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shawcross/said-to-the-man-who-stood-at-the-gate-of-the-year-give-me-a-light/)

[William Shawcross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shawcross/)

> [The early Christians made it a part of their religion to look for his return. They looked backward to the cross and the atonement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-early-christians-made-it-a-part-of-their-religion-to-look-for-his/)

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

> [Christ sits in the body at the right hand of God the Father, but we do not hold that the right hand of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-damascus/christ-sits-in-the-body-at-the-right-hand-of-god-the-father-but-we-do/)

[John of Damascus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-damascus/)

> [Christianity is not a law of bondage; and if it respect the hand of God which sometimes raises up tyrants, it draws up where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-henri-lacordaire/christianity-is-not-a-law-of-bondage-and-if-it-respect-the-hand-of/)

[Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-henri-lacordaire/)

> [I, for one, am profoundly grateful to feel the hand of God at work in my life. But at the beginning and end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/i-for-one-am-profoundly-grateful-to-feel-the-hand-of-god-at-work-in/)

[Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/)

> [... we have gratefully to receive from the hand of God the institution of the state with its magistrates as a means of preservation……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/we-have-gratefully-to-receive-from-the-hand-of-god-the-institution-of/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/living-as-we-do-with-a-veil-over-our-eyes-we-cannot-remember-what-it/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [All strife concerning Christ's testaments cometh hence that men do not understand that Heaven wherein Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/all-strife-concerning-christ-s-testaments-cometh-hence-that-men-do/)

[Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/)

> [“He doubted the hand of God but did not discount it - discarding only the God of the pulpit and the pious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lent/he-doubted-the-hand-of-god-but-did-not-discount-it-discarding-only/)

[Jeffrey Lent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-lent/)

> [In this world is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? is it like the hand of god hovering above?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berserk/in-this-world-is-the-destiny-of-mankind-controlled-by-some/)

[Berserk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berserk/)

> [What ever the course of our lives, we should recieve them as the highest gift from the hand of God, in which equally reposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/what-ever-the-course-of-our-lives-we-should-recieve-them-as-the/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [Christ is already in that place of peace, which is all in all. He is on the right hand of God. He is hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/christ-is-already-in-that-place-of-peace-which-is-all-in-all-he-is-on/)

[John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/)

> [“What can I call a coincidence like that but the Hand of God?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-can-i-call-a-coincidence-like-that-but-the-hand-of-god/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-elias-freeman/the-angels-are-always-near-to-those-who-are-grieving-to-whisper-to/)

[Eileen Elias Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-elias-freeman/)

[Browse all 248 Hand Of God quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-of-god/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The worst things are done not by people who believe they are doing wrong, but by those who are convinced that they walk with the hand of God on one shoulder.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stanley Bing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people-who-believe-they-are-doing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hand Of God"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people-who-believe-they-are-doing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/stanley-bing-10511_hand-of-god_the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people_2620274.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The worst things are done not by people who believe they are doing wrong, but by those who are convinced…” — Stanley Bing",
                "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": "Stanley Bing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The worst things are done not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people-who-believe-they-are-doing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/the-worst-things-are-done-not-by-people-who-believe-they-are-doing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
