QuoteProject
Evil, in this system of ethics, is that which tears apart, shuts out the other person, raises barriers, sets people against each other.
Rollo May
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Evil is defined as actions or behaviors that isolate and harm others, creating division and conflict.

In this quote, Rollo May emphasizes that evil is fundamentally linked to the act of creating separation and hostility between individuals. It highlights how behaviors that exclude or harm others contribute to societal discord and ethical failings, suggesting that true ethics involve fostering connection and understanding among people rather than division.

Themes

EvilEthicsConnectionDiversityHumanity

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about social justice and the importance of inclusivity.

More from Rollo May

Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before
Rollo MayRead
Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
Rollo MayRead
Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Rollo MayRead
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Rollo MayRead
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Rollo MayRead

Similar quotes

If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.
Tennessee WilliamsRead
Of course there are people who think of 'heaven' as a kind of pie-in-the-sky dream of an afterlife to make the thought of dying less awful. No doubt that's a problem as old as the human race.
N. T. WrightRead
Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety.
ConfuciusRead
Remorse is violent dyspepsia of the mind.
Ogden NashRead
There is a foundation for our lives, a place in which our life rests. That place is nothing but the present moment, as we see, hear, experience what is. If we do not return to that place, we live our lives out of our heads. We blame others; we complain; we feel sorry for ourselves. All of these symptoms show that we're stuck in our thoughts. We're out of touch with the open space that is always right here.
Joko BeckRead
I will begin with this confession: whatever I have done in the course of my life, whether it be good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent.
Giacomo CasanovaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Rollo May | QuoteProject