---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Malice often takes the garb of truth."
description: "\"Malice often takes the garb of truth.\" — William Hazlitt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png"
---

#  Malice often takes the garb of truth.

![“Malice often takes the garb of truth.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png)

> “Malice often takes the garb of truth.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

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

Truth can be disguised as malice, making harmful intentions appear honest.

**In simple terms:** Malice can hide behind honesty.

Key Takeaway

Question motives behind seemingly honest statements.

Themes

deception morality communication

Mood

cautious critical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media analysis
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

ethical relativism rhetoric

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you seen truth used to harm?
- How can you discern genuine honesty?

A Different Perspective

Not all truth is benign; some honesty can be weaponized.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Garb Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garb-truth-4638931/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Malice Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice-takes-4638930/) [Takes Garb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-garb-4638932/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wickedness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wickedness/)

## Related quotes

> [And I have again observed, my dear friend, in this trifling affair, that misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-have-again-observed-my-dear-friend-in-this-trifling-affair-that/)

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

> [Malice swallows the greatest part of its own venom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/malice-swallows-the-greatest-part-of-its-own-venom/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [Meekness is the mask of malice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/meekness-is-the-mask-of-malice/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [We had rather do anything than acknowledge the merit of another if we can help it. We cannot bear a superior or an equal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-had-rather-do-anything-than-acknowledge-the-merit-of-another-if-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The ignorance of the world leaves one at the mercy of its malice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-ignorance-of-the-world-leaves-one-at-the-mercy-of-its-malice/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We prefer a person with vivacity and high spirits, though bordering upon insolence, to the timid and pusillanimous; we are fonder of wit joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-prefer-a-person-with-vivacity-and-high-spirits-though-bordering/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [To great evils we submit; we resent little provocations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-great-evils-we-submit-we-resent-little-provocations/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The devil was a great loss in the preternatural world. He was always something to fear and to hate; he supplied the antagonist powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-devil-was-a-great-loss-in-the-preternatural-world-he-was-always/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“Monsters don’t exist. It’s men you should be afraid of, not monsters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccol-ammaniti/monsters-don-t-exist-it-s-men-you-should-be-afraid-of-not-monsters/)

[Niccolò Ammaniti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccol-ammaniti/)

> [“Among wise men there is no place at all left for hatred. For no one except the greatest of fools would hate good men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/among-wise-men-there-is-no-place-at-all-left-for-hatred-for-no-one/)

[Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/)

> [We desperately need to understand something of the magnitude of sin, of evil, and of gross wickedness in this world if we are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hunt/we-desperately-need-to-understand-something-of-the-magnitude-of-sin/)

[Dave Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hunt/)

> [The evils of popular government appear greater than they are; there is compensation for them in spirit and energy it awakens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-evils-of-popular-government-appear-greater-than-they-are-there-is/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“He made a pit and digged it. He was cunning in his plans and industrious in his labors. He stooped to the dirty work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/he-made-a-pit-and-digged-it-he-was-cunning-in-his-plans-and/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/a-wicked-mortal-is-not-the-idea-of-god-he-is-little-else-than-the/)

[Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/)

> [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## 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. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/)

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

> [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. 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. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

[James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/)

> [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/)

[M.F. 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": "Malice often takes the garb of truth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Hazlitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/william-hazlitt-326_evil_malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth-216_2169409.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Malice often takes the garb of truth.” — William Hazlitt",
                "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": "William Hazlitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Malice often takes the garb of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/malice-often-takes-the-garb-of-truth/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
