---
title: "I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of 'Admin.' The greatest evi… — C. S. Lewis Quote #22 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of 'Admin.' The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. I… — a quote by C. S. Lewis."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of 'Admin.' The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern.

[C. S. Lewis](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis)\#22

[Ethics](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/ethics/)[Evil](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/evil/)[Power](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/power/)[Work](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/work/)[Bureaucracy](https://quotesby.net/topics/bureaucracy/)[System](https://quotesby.net/topics/system/)

[WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CI%20live%20in%20the%20Managerial%20Age%2C%20in%20a%20world%20of%20%27Admin.%27%20The%20greatest%20evil%20is%20not%20now%20done%20in%20those%20sordid%20%27dens%20of%20crime%27%20that%20Dickens%20loved%20to%20paint.%20It%20is%20not%20done%20even%20in%20concentration%20camps%20and%20labour%20camps.%20In%20those%20we%20see%20its%20final%20result.%20But%20it%20is%20conceived%20and%20ordered%20%28moved%2C%20seconded%2C%20carried%2C%20and%20minuted%29%20in%20clean%2C%20carpeted%2C%20warmed%2C%20and%20well-lighted%20offices%2C%20by%20quiet%20men%20with%20white%20collars%20and%20cut%20fingernails%20and%20smooth-shaven%20cheeks%20who%20do%20not%20need%20to%20raise%20their%20voice.%20Hence%2C%20naturally%20enough%2C%20my%20symbol%20for%20Hell%20is%20something%20like%20the%20bureaucracy%20of%20a%20police%20state%20or%20the%20offices%20of%20a%20thoroughly%20nasty%20business%20concern.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20C.%20S.%20Lewis%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FC.-S.-Lewis%2F22%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CI%20live%20in%20the%20Managerial%20Age%2C%20in%20a%20world%20of%20%27Admin.%27%20The%20greatest%20evil%20is%20not%20now%20done%20in%20those%20sordid%20%27dens%20of%20crime%27%20that%20Dickens%20loved%20to%20paint.%20It%20is%20not%20done%20even%20in%20concentration%20camps%20and%20labour%20camps.%20In%20those%20we%20see%20its%20final%20result.%20But%20it%20is%20conceived%20and%20ordered%20%28moved%2C%20seconded%2C%20carried%2C%20and%20minuted%29%20in%20clean%2C%20carpeted%2C%20warmed%2C%20and%20well-lighted%20offices%2C%20by%20quiet%20men%20with%20white%20collars%20and%20cut%20fingernails%20and%20smooth-shaven%20cheeks%20who%20do%20not%20need%20to%20raise%20their%20voice.%20Hence%2C%20naturally%20enough%2C%20my%20symbol%20for%20Hell%20is%20something%20like%20the%20bureaucracy%20of%20a%20police%20state%20or%20the%20offices%20of%20a%20thoroughly%20nasty%20business%20concern.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20C.%20S.%20Lewis&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FC.-S.-Lewis%2F22%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FC.-S.-Lewis%2F22%2F)

## About this quote

What does it mean?Modern evil often arises from bureaucratic systems rather than overt criminality, carried out by calm, orderly officials.In plain termsEvil can happen in clean offices by quiet people following procedures.What can you take from it?Watch how systems enable harm without raising voices.

### Where it applies

- corporate decision making
- policy design
- government offices

### Putting it to work

- audit systems
- ask about harm
- name the harm

### Questions to consider

- Who benefits from the procedure?
- What harm does this routine hide?

### Another view

It risks overlooking violence done in the name of order.

## More from C. S. Lewis

1. > There is wishful thinking in Hell as well as on Earth.

[Permalink to quote \#21](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/21/ "Permalink to quote 21")
2. > My dear Wormwood, I note what you say about guiding your patient's reading and taking care that he sees a good deal of his materialist friend. But are you not …

[Permalink to quote \#23](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/23/ "Permalink to quote 23")
3. > If He who in Himself can lack nothing chooses to need us, it is because we need to be needed.

[Permalink to quote \#20](https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/20/ "Permalink to quote 20")

## Related quotes

1. > Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.

[Dr. Laurence J. Peter](https://quotesby.net/Dr.-Laurence-J.-Peter)[Dr. Laurence J. Peter quote \#2](https://quotesby.net/Dr.-Laurence-J.-Peter/2/ "Permalink to quote 2")
2. > I would have left all the Jews in Germany, but put them on an alien status, under alien law, and naturally closed them out of jobs like doctor or lawyer. But w…

[Oswald Pohl](https://quotesby.net/Oswald-Pohl)[Oswald Pohl quote \#7](https://quotesby.net/Oswald-Pohl/7/ "Permalink to quote 7")
3. > A man who uses power to do evil is in theory judged to have been conscious of his acts and to be as fit for punishment as a perpetrator of premeditated murder.…

[John Ralston Saul](https://quotesby.net/John-Ralston-Saul)[John Ralston Saul quote \#8](https://quotesby.net/John-Ralston-Saul/8/ "Permalink to quote 8")

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Quotation",
    "text": "I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of 'Admin.' The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern.",
    "url": "https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/22/",
    "spokenByCharacter": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "C. S. Lewis"
    }
}
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 1,
            "name": "Home",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 2,
            "name": "Authors",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/authors/"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 3,
            "name": "C. S. Lewis",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 4,
            "name": "Quote #22",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/C.-S.-Lewis/22/"
        }
    ]
}
```