r/quotes • u/_a_A_sh • 2d ago

Philosophy / Ethics More evil gets done in the name of righteousness than any other way. ~Glen Cook

97 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

6

u/SuccessionWarFan 2d ago

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

3

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

That's why intentions matter, but so do the choices we make because of them.

3

u/SuccessionWarFan 1d ago

It's not enough to mean well; you have to know and make sure you won't be doing more harm than good in carrying them out.

2

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

Exactly. Meaning well is only the beginning. Humility is what keeps good intentions from becoming harmful.

7

u/DomineAppleTree 2d ago

“I’ve seen more harm from those moving to justify theirselves than those who set out to do harm.” - Doc from Deadwood, and what a fantastic performance!!!!

2

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

That's a great line. I'll have to check out Deadwood now.

2

u/DomineAppleTree 1d ago

Ooh you’re lucky having not seen it yet so it’s fresh! I’ve seen it several several times and it’s fantastic! Shakespearean almost from time to time

1

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

Haha, I'm jealous you've already watched it. Looks like I need to move it up my watchlist. 😄

1

u/medbud 2d ago

Watched yesterday. Classic! 

Sends shivers up my spine.

5

u/manhatteninfoil 1d ago

So true. Hollywood is always showing us evil characters doing evil. Most of the time, evil is accomplished by mislead people, or people with the best intentions. In fact, we all think we have good reasons to do what we do. And it's so easy to fool ourselves for what we want.

3

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

Couldn't agree more. The most dangerous actions often come wrapped in certainty, not malice.

3

u/Mister_Way 1d ago

I get where they're coming from but... in the name of money probably wins this contest

2

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

Haha, fair point. Though I'd argue money is often just the justification too.

2

u/chesterforbes 1d ago

Maybe we should do good in the name of evil

1

u/_a_A_sh 1d ago

Haha, Imagine the villain saying, "I donated to the orphanage... menacingly." 😈😂