--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst…" description: "\"To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils.\" — Thomas Holcroft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg" --- # To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils. ![“To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils.” quote by Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg) > “To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils.” [Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that suppressing questioning is a grave moral failing. **In simple terms:** Stopping inquiry is a serious evil. Key Takeaway Protect the right to question. Themes inquiry freedom ethics society authority Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - education - journalism - political debate - scientific research Key Concepts Enlightenment civic duty Questions to Reflect On - When should inquiry be limited? - How do we balance curiosity with responsibility? A Different Perspective Some inquiries can be destabilizing or harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [To go to the world below, having a soul which is like a vessel full of injustice, is the last and worst of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/to-go-to-the-world-below-having-a-soul-which-is-like-a-vessel-full-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-worst-evils-of-life-are-those-which-do-not-exist-except-in-our-2/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The worst evils are those that never arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-worst-evils-are-those-that-never-arrive/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The worst of our evils we blindly inflict upon ourselves; our officers cannot remove them, even if they would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/the-worst-of-our-evils-we-blindly-inflict-upon-ourselves-our-officers/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/hope-in-reality-is-the-worst-of-all-evils-because-it-prolongs-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs man’s torments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-reality-hope-is-the-worst-of-all-evils-because-it-prolongs-man-s/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-worst-evils-of-life-are-those-which-do-not-exist-except-in-our/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-for-it-prolongs-the-torments-of-man/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Hope in reality is the worst of all evils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hope-in-reality-is-the-worst-of-all-evils/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hope is the worst of evils because it protracts torment.” “Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-because-it-protracts-torment-your/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-for-it-prolongs-the-torment-of-man/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Hope is the worst of evils,’ Nietzsche famously said, ‘for it prolongs the torment of man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-nietzsche-famously-said-for-it-prolongs/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [Interference by the three classes with each other s jobs, and interchange of jobs between them, therefore, does the greatest harm to our state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/interference-by-the-three-classes-with-each-other-s-jobs-and/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Lying is the worst of all evils. Everything else that is diabolical comes from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lying-is-the-worst-of-all-evils-everything-else-that-is-diabolical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Holcroft > [Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/life-is-a-grindstone-whether-it-grinds-us-down-or-polishes-us-up/) [Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) > [The past is only a guidepost... not a hitching post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/the-past-is-only-a-guidepost-not-a-hitching-post/) [Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) > [Love and a red rose can't be hid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/love-and-a-red-rose-can-t-be-hid/) [Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) > [Be patient, my soul: thou hath suffered worse than this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/be-patient-my-soul-thou-hath-suffered-worse-than-this/) [Thomas Holcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) [Explore all 5 Thomas Holcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. 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Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. 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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/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Holcroft" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst-of-evils/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst-of-evils/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/thomas-holcroft-61562_evil_to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst_916896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To prevent inquiry is amongst the worst of evils.” — Thomas Holcroft", "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": "Thomas Holcroft", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-holcroft/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To prevent inquiry is amongst the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst-of-evils/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-holcroft/to-prevent-inquiry-is-amongst-the-worst-of-evils/#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 } } ] } ```