---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Deeds done from bad motives remain…"
description: "\"“Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.”\" — Thích Nhất Hạnh"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg"
---

#  Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.

![“Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.” quote by Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg)

> ““Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.””

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

## About This Quote

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

Actions driven by selfish motives retain moral blemish, regardless of outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Bad motives corrupt deeds.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate pure intentions.

Themes

morality intentionality spirituality ethics

Mood

contemplative inspirational

Type

spiritual ethical

When to use this quote

- personal decision making
- conflict resolution
- leadership
- community building

Key Concepts

karma mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- Can a selfless act be truly selfless?
- What practices cleanse intention?

A Different Perspective

Good deeds can be tainted if motives are impure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [Good deeds with bad motives and bad intentions does no one any good...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-deeds-with-bad-motives-and-bad-intentions-does-no-one-any-good/)

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

> [“good doesn't always follow from good deeds, nor bad deeds result from bad, does it? Even the wise and good cannot see the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/good-doesn-t-always-follow-from-good-deeds-nor-bad-deeds-result-from/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [I am much more afraid of my good deeds that please me than of my bad deeds that repel me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-am-much-more-afraid-of-my-good-deeds-that-please-me-than-of-my-bad/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Be careful, if you do bad deeds, bad things are gonna come and bite you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica/be-careful-if-you-do-bad-deeds-bad-things-are-gonna-come-and-bite-you/)

[Monica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica/)

> [We are not more ingenious in searching out bad motives for good actions when performed by others, than good motives for bad actions when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-are-not-more-ingenious-in-searching-out-bad-motives-for-good/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [I wish sometimes you had a few bad motives, you might understand a little more about human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-wish-sometimes-you-had-a-few-bad-motives-you-might-understand-a/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Malice will always find bad motives for good actions. - Shall we therefore never do good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/malice-will-always-find-bad-motives-for-good-actions-shall-we/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Why Christians do what they do is just as important as what they do. Bad motives ruin good acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/why-christians-do-what-they-do-is-just-as-important-as-what-they-do/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Honest error in the face of complex and possibly intractable problems is a far more important source of bad results than are bad motives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/honest-error-in-the-face-of-complex-and-possibly-intractable-problems/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Perhaps it is time to debate culture. The common story is that in 'real' African culture, before it was tainted by the West, gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/perhaps-it-is-time-to-debate-culture-the-common-story-is-that-in-real/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [In an era when party fundraising is badly tainted, dinners are a really good way of raising cash for campaigning. Lots of people giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/in-an-era-when-party-fundraising-is-badly-tainted-dinners-are-a/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [I don't want to write poems that are just really clear about how I'm aware of all the traps involved in writing poetry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-want-to-write-poems-that-are-just-really-clear-about-how-i-m/)

[Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/)

> [Pleasure only starts once the worm has got into the fruit; to become delightful, happiness must be tainted with poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/pleasure-only-starts-once-the-worm-has-got-into-the-fruit-to-become/)

[Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/)

> [Show business got really tainted for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/show-business-got-really-tainted-for-me/)

[Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/)

## More by Thích Nhất Hạnh

> [“For example, the sound of the telephone can make us irritated and anxious. That is the sound of the telephone which comes as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/for-example-the-sound-of-the-telephone-can-make-us-irritated-and/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Bhikkhus, the teaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don’t mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/bhikkhus-the-teaching-is-merely-a-vehicle-to-describe-the-truth-don-t/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“If we practice walking meditation, we walk just for walking, not to arrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-we-practice-walking-meditation-we-walk-just-for-walking-not-to/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Control the senses, practice equanimity. Live by disciplinary rules. Associate with good friends who are not lazy and live purely. Be courteous and well-mannered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/control-the-senses-practice-equanimity-live-by-disciplinary-rules/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“If you are lost in a forest at night, you can follow the North Star to find your way out. You follow the North…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-you-are-lost-in-a-forest-at-night-you-can-follow-the-north-star-to/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“If you are a poet, you will clearly see a cloud floating on this sheet of paper. Thich Nhat Hanh”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-you-are-a-poet-you-will-clearly-see-a-cloud-floating-on-this-sheet/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Happiness can be attained by letting go, including letting go of your ideas about happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/happiness-can-be-attained-by-letting-go-including-letting-go-of-your/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“We have many kinds of energies in us, including the energies of anger, violence, and craving. But compassion is also a very strong energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/we-have-many-kinds-of-energies-in-us-including-the-energies-of-anger/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Knowing how to handle suffering, you know at the same time how to produce happiness. And if you’re truly happy, we all profit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/knowing-how-to-handle-suffering-you-know-at-the-same-time-how-to/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“You have to realize that happiness is not something you find at the end of the road. You have to understand that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/you-have-to-realize-that-happiness-is-not-something-you-find-at-the/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Suppose you are in the desert, and you only have one glass of muddy water. You have to transform the muddy water into clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/suppose-you-are-in-the-desert-and-you-only-have-one-glass-of-muddy/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“When you speak, allow the insight of our collective humanity to speak through you. When you walk, don't walk for yourself alone; walk for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/when-you-speak-allow-the-insight-of-our-collective-humanity-to-speak/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“Your body belongs to the earth. In modern life, people tend to think their bodies belong to them, that they can do anything they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/your-body-belongs-to-the-earth-in-modern-life-people-tend-to-think/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“A single wise word bringing peace to the listener is worth more than a thousand speeches of empty words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/a-single-wise-word-bringing-peace-to-the-listener-is-worth-more-than/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [“There is no fire like lust, no vise like hatred, no trap like delusion, and no galloping river like craving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/there-is-no-fire-like-lust-no-vise-like-hatred-no-trap-like-delusion/)

[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

[Explore all 373 Thích Nhất Hạnh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

## More Tainted quotes

> [Show business got really tainted for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/show-business-got-really-tainted-for-me/)

[Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/)

> [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [In an era when party fundraising is badly tainted, dinners are a really good way of raising cash for campaigning. Lots of people giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/in-an-era-when-party-fundraising-is-badly-tainted-dinners-are-a/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [I don't want to write poems that are just really clear about how I'm aware of all the traps involved in writing poetry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-want-to-write-poems-that-are-just-really-clear-about-how-i-m/)

[Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/)

> [Perhaps it is time to debate culture. The common story is that in 'real' African culture, before it was tainted by the West, gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/perhaps-it-is-time-to-debate-culture-the-common-story-is-that-in-real/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [Pleasure only starts once the worm has got into the fruit; to become delightful, happiness must be tainted with poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/pleasure-only-starts-once-the-worm-has-got-into-the-fruit-to-become/)

[Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/)

> [“Love Untamed, unbridled, unfair Timeless, ageless, never painless Selfish, selfless, righteous n’ wicked Lingers on and on It weeps; it laughs, it hinders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/love-untamed-unbridled-unfair-timeless-ageless-never-painless-selfish/)

[Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/)

> [The newspaper is of necessity something of a monopoly, and its first duty is to shun the temptations of monopoly. Its primary office is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-scott/the-newspaper-is-of-necessity-something-of-a-monopoly-and-its-first/)

[C. P. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-scott/)

> [“This world tainted everything it touched, and nothing good was left—could be left – beneath its menacing gaze.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-giovanni/this-world-tainted-everything-it-touched-and-nothing-good-was-left/)

[Cassandra Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-giovanni/)

> [So fucking frustrated with your lady. Get a flight, I send her home. Man my love is oh so tainted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/so-fucking-frustrated-with-your-lady-get-a-flight-i-send-her-home-man/)

[Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/)

> [It's very difficult to look at it in a kind of a free manner, what reality is. That was my first struggle, to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/it-s-very-difficult-to-look-at-it-in-a-kind-of-a-free-manner-what/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [“The shame that tormented me was all the more corrosive for having no very clear origin: I didn't know why I felt so tainted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-shame-that-tormented-me-was-all-the-more-corrosive-for-having-no/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [In law, what plea so tainted and corrupts, but being seasoned with a gracious voice obscures the show of evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-law-what-plea-so-tainted-and-corrupts-but-being-seasoned-with-a/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Didn’t your mom teach you to not creep up on a girl in a hearse?” I snapped even though I knew my situation wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heyloqueekayy/didn-t-your-mom-teach-you-to-not-creep-up-on-a-girl-in-a-hearse-i/)

HeyLoQueeKayy

> [The air that people breathe in many Chinese cities has become dangerously polluted. Their food supply is subject to constant contamination scandals. Now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/the-air-that-people-breathe-in-many-chinese-cities-has-become/)

[James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/)

Browse all 120 Tainted quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thích Nhất Hạnh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everlastingly-tainted/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Tainted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everlastingly-tainted/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh-689_tainted_deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everl_265069.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Deeds done from bad motives remain everlastingly tainted.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh",
                "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": "Thích Nhất Hạnh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Deeds done from bad motives remain...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everlastingly-tainted/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/deeds-done-from-bad-motives-remain-everlastingly-tainted/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```