Profound Quotes About Evil – Why Does Evil Exist?

Words of Wisdom || Profound Quotes About Evil

There is nothing that is absolutely evil, which cannot be changed into good, because God alone is the Final Reality from which everything has manifested.

Welcome to the Spiritual Bee’s collection of Quotes About Evil!

In the history of this world, discrimination, colonialism, violence, war and crime have brought inconsolable suffering to millions of innocents. It is not surprising then, that often times we find ourselves questioning the presence of God.

We wonder, why would God allow evil and suffering into his beautiful Creation? Why can’t everyone be good? Why must evil exist?

In this collection of Evil Quotes, I have tried to elicit the answers to these difficult questions.

The answers come from two of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers: Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, both of whom were born during a period of great turmoil in Indian history, when the nation’s soul was being crushed under the brutal repression of British colonialism. It was only due to the tireless efforts of great spirits such as these, that the sleeping soul of India was roused, and the march towards freedom begun, which ultimately culminated with India becoming free in the year 1947.

India’s non-violent struggle for freedom is a testament to its spiritual traditions, revived by many great teachers such as Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Sri Aurobindo, Maharishi Ramana, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore etc., all of whom, interestingly enough, lived in the critical 100 year juncture between 1857 and 1947.

“Our Soul is a spark of the Divine. It is pure and perfect. Evil deeds merely obstruct our vision of the true nature of our Soul. Through good deeds we can become conscious of this perfection again.”
– Swami Vivekananda

Evil Quotes and Sayings by Topic

Presented below is an insightful collection of quotes about evil. These quotes have been categorized under the following subheadings, and are best read sequentially from top to bottom.

  1. Evil Exists as a Consequence of the Law of Opposites
  2. Evil is Not Permanent, it too Must Evolve into Goodness
  3. The Root of all Evil is Ignorance
  4. The Existence of Evil has a Hidden Purpose

I hope that these profound quotes on evil, soothe your worries and offer you a fresh perspective on dealing with life’s numerous challenges.

Evil Exists Purely as a Consequence of the Law of Opposites

The world that we live in, is a world of opposites: day is followed by night, darkness by light, birth by death, happiness by sorrow, and laughter by tears. This principle of opposites is at the very root of Creation, as science itself reveals.

Consider an atom: within it is a positively charged nucleus around which revolve an array of negatively charged electrons. What keeps the atom from flying apart is the electromagnetic force of attraction between the positively charged nucleus and the negatively charged electrons. Without these opposite charges, there would be no force to bind the subatomic particles together; thus there would be no atoms or molecules, and hence no animals, plants or life.

This principle of opposites, like gravity, is a law of Nature. Without this principle, Creation would cease to exist. If goodness exists in this world, then evil too exists, purely as a consequence of this principle.

This principle of opposites is at the very root of Creation, which is divided between the rule of the King and the Queen; Night and Day; the One and the Varied; the Eternal and the Evolving.

– Rabindranath Tagore in his book Glimpses of Bengal.

Evil and good are eternally enjoined, the obverse and the reverse of the same coin. Have one, you have to get the other; make one billow in the ocean and it must be at the cost of some hollow somewhere.
Wherever there is evil there must be good, wherever there is life, death must follow it as its shadow, anyone who smiles must have to weep, and whoever weeps must also smile.

– A quote about evil from the book “Speeches and Writings of Vivekananda”, published in 1899.

The question why there is evil in existence is the same as why there is imperfection. But this is the real question we ought to ask: Is this imperfection the final truth, is evil absolute and ultimate?

– A quote on evil from the book Sadhana – The Realisation of Life by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). His breathtaking literary works (which can be freely downloaded from our website) are a must read, for any seeker of spiritual wisdom.

Reason tells us that Creation is imperfect, that it can never be perfectly happy. So long as it is incomplete it must put up with imperfection and sorrow. It can only be perfect when it ceases to be Creation, and is one with God. Do our prayers dare go so far?

– An excerpt from a letter written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1893, published in his enchanting and must read book Glimpses of Bengal.

Although Evil Exists, We Need Not Lose Hope and Assume it is Permanent; Evil too Must Evolve into Goodness, Which is Our True Nature

Every person in this world is on an evolutionary path to attaining perfection with God. Our journey is towards revealing our True Self, by manifesting the God-like qualities that lie dormant within each of us.

Wherever evil exists, it too is flowing in this tremendous evolutionary stream and must seek its perfection with the Creator.

Since there are innumerable souls, each on their own unique journey, it is natural that not all are at the same stage of development. Some people are further along in this journey and we call them “good”, others are a little behind and we call them bad or “evil”. However, none is truly evil because divinity, purity and perfection lie within each. The only difference is in the degree to which they have been successful in manifesting it.

A tremendous stream is flowing towards the ocean, carrying little bits of paper and straw hither and thither on it. They may struggle to go back, but in the long run, they must flow down to the ocean.

So you and I, and all Nature are like these little straws carried in mad currents towards that ocean of Life and Perfection with God. We may struggle to go back, or float against the current and play all sorts of pranks, but in the long run we must go and join this great ocean of Life and Bliss.

– An excerpt from the book “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”.

All that is good is the reflection of that Atman (Soul), and when that reflection is less manifested it is called darkness or evil, and when it is more manifested it is called light or goodness. That is all. Good and evil are only a question of the degree by which the Atman is more manifested or less manifested.

– Swami Vivekananda in his book “The Science and Philosophy of Religion”.

There is nothing that is absolutely evil, which cannot be changed into good, because God alone is the Final Reality from which everything has manifested.

The devil appears evil, because extreme selfishness has masked his True Self. He remains unaware of his real nature – that he too is a Soul, which is an indivisible portion of God and is therefore pure.

What makes Him the devil is the fact that this purity is not manifest; it is hidden under a veil of selfishness.

– Adapted from the teachings of Vivekananda.

Evil cannot altogether arrest the course of life on the highway and rob it of its possessions. For evil has to pass on, it has to grow into good; it cannot stand and give battle to the All.

– Rabindranath Tagore, in a chapter titled “The Problem of Evil” in his book Sadhana.

We have to learn that evil is destroyed by the growth of good, and we must do our best to destroy ignorance and evil.

I have experienced in my own life, that good motives, sincerity and infinite love can conquer the world. One single soul possessed of these virtues can destroy the dark designs of millions of hypocrites and brutes.

– Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902).

We can only do good, when we love God. Within the murderer too resides God. It is as if the “clothing of a murderer” has been superimposed upon God. Take him by the hand and tell him the truth.

Teach yourselves; teach every one his real nature. Call upon the sleeping soul to see how it rises. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity.

– Swami Vivekananda.

Within the system of universal consciousness, no mechanism exists for the discernment of what we call right and wrong or any sinful act. Simply put, the universe does not recognize the difference between light and dark, good or evil. Therefore we must. It is up to us, for within us resides the innate knowing.

We have come to earth for the express purpose of learning to master the proper execution of our pre-existing spiritual wisdom. We will act as our own judge and jury. And in the end we alone will hold ourselves accountable for every thought, work and deed as well as the resulting ramifications in the lives of those we touch. For truly each choice we make in life creates a consequence we will eventually have to face.

– A profound quote from the book “Secrets of the Light”, by Dannion Brinkley, in which he chronicles his near-death experience.

Know that the Lord stands beside this tremendous current of good and evil. He the bond-less, the ever-merciful, is always ready to help us to the other shore, for His mercy is great, and it always comes to the pure in heart.

– Swami Vivekananda in his book “From Colombo to Almora”.

The Root Cause of All Evil is Ignorance

Evil is not the absolute final reality because it is subject to change. Evil too must evolve into goodness, which is our true nature because our souls are a spark of God Himself.

Then what makes one person good and another evil? The difference lies in the degree to which their inner divinity is manifest. When we are ignorant of our real nature, when we selfishly limit our consciousness to our narrow selves, when greed overtakes working for the greater good; then evil arises; superstition enters the brain, we become weak-minded and fearful, and commit evil acts.

The moment awareness comes, when our mind finds enlightenment, when we truly understand that the same God resides in each soul, then the veil of ignorance is lifted and evil transmutes into goodness. Then this world no longer appears as a battle field where each soul is born to struggle with every other soul, and the strongest gets victory and the weakest goes to death. It becomes a real manifestation of heaven on earth, where peace, harmony, happiness and brotherhood prevail.

God is the background of your soul. Not only so, but you are one with Him. Just like a wave in the ocean you are eternally joined with the Infinite Divine. All is thus, one ocean of existence.

Whenever there are two, there is fear, danger, conflict and strife. When all is One, whom to hate, with whom to struggle, when it is all He, with whom to fight?

Whatever makes men weak, makes men fear, is the only evil that should be shunned. What can frighten you? If the sun comes down, the moon crumbles into dust, systems after systems are hurled into annihilation, what is that to you?

Stand as a rock; you are indestructible. Your soul is infinite and immortal because it is one with God.

It is only ignorance and delusion that hold you down. Nothing else can bind you. You are the pure One, the ever blessed.

– Powerful and empowering words of wisdom from Swami Vivekananda.

Know that all sins and all evils can be summed up into that one word weakness. It is weakness that is the motive power in all evil doing; it is weakness that is the motive power in all wrong acts; it is weakness that makes men do what they ought not to do; it is weakness that makes them manifest as they are not really.

Let them all know what they are; let them tell it day and night what they are. Soham — I am He, I am He (I am a spark of the Divine). And then let them think of it, and out of that thought, out of that heart will proceed works such as the world has never seen.

Believe in yourselves first, and then believe in anything else.

– Swami Vivekananda.

Awal Allah noor upaya, kudrat ke sab bandey; Ek noor se sab jag upja, kaun bhaley, kaun mandey?”

Translation: In the beginning Allah (God) created light, from which the Universe was born. We are all children of the Lord because we were created from the same Light. Therefore how can some be good and some evil? Those we call evil are merely ignorant of their true nature.

– A profound quote on evil from the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. These immortal verses were written in the 15th century, by Kabir, a Muslim saint held in great reverence across India by Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims alike.

All evil comes by relying upon differences, and all good comes from faith in equality, in the underlying sameness and real oneness of things.

– Swami Vivekananda.

Know that you are responsible for your fate. You alone are the bringer of good and evil unto yourself.

You are not a body which decays and dies, but an immortal soul that is a spark of the Divine. You had neither birth nor death, nor friend or foe; you are bound neither by virtue nor vice, nor by happiness or misery; pilgrimages, books or ceremony can never bind you, for you are the Blissful One, you are Absolute Existence, Knowledge and Bliss.

– Swami Vivekananda.

The Existence of Evil and Suffering is Not Without Purpose – It Serves to Propel Us Down the Path of Greater Self-Realisation

Our will, our character, has to attain perfection by continually overcoming evils, either inside or outside us, or both. Just as our physical life consumes bodily materials every moment to maintain the life fire, so does our moral life have its fuel to burn.

This process is continuously ongoing and the direction of humanity is from evil to good. For we feel that good is the positive element in man’s nature and in every age and every clime what man values most is his ideals of goodness.

– A profound quote on evil by Rabindranath Tagore, in his book Sadhana – The Realization of Life.

If we could get rid of evil, we should never catch a glimpse of anything higher; we would be satisfied and never struggle to get free.

– A quote about evil from the book “Inspired Talks” by Swami Vivekananda.

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