Men may keep a sort of level of good, but no man has ever been able to keep on one level of evil.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Goodness is stable, but evil tends to escalate or change form over time.
- In plain terms
- People can stay good, but they rarely stay consistently bad.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize that negative behaviors often worsen if unchecked.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is evil self-correcting?
- Can goodness be stable?
Another view
Some people do remain consistently malicious.
More from Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Silver is sometimes more valuable than gold, that is, in large quantities.
Permalink to quote #139 One can sometimes do good by being the right person in the wrong place.
Permalink to quote #141 His head was always most valuable when he had lost it. In such moments he put two and two together and made four million.
Permalink to quote #138
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