Accomplish Quote by William Faulkner
“People everywhere are about the same, but ... it did seem that in a small town, where evil is harder to accomplish, where opportunities for privacy are scarcer, that people can invent more of it in other people's names. Because that was all it required: that idea, that single idle word blown from mind to mind.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Light in August, 1932
People in small towns may create more evil under scarce privacy, using idle ideas to blame others.
In simple terms: Small towns can breed hidden evil through gossip.
Key Takeaway
Guard privacy, question idle blame.
Themes
privacy
evil
gossip
community
responsibility
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
observational
critical
When to use this quote
- small town life
- online forums
- workplace gossip
- neighborhood watch
Key Concepts
social dynamics
psychology
anonymity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does privacy affect moral behavior?
- What safeguards can prevent misuse of idle ideas?
A Different Perspective
Evil can also arise in larger, less scrutinized settings.
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
