It’s true that someone will always say that good and evil don’t exist: that is a person who has never had any dealings with real evil. Good is far less convincing than evil, but it’s because their chemical structures are different. Like gold, good is never found in a pure state in nature: it therefore doesn’t seem impressive. It has the unfortunate tendency not to act; it prefers, passively, to be seen.
Interpretation
Good and evil are often perceived differently, with evil appearing more tangible than good.
This quote suggests that the concepts of good and evil are not absolute but are shaped by human experience and perception. Evil stands out more clearly because it often manifests in a direct and impactful way, making it more memorable and convincing than the subtle, less obvious nature of good, which tends to be quieter and less dramatic, reflecting the complexity of human morality.
In practice
In a philosophy class discussing ethics, this quote could be used to illustrate the complexities of moral judgment.
And truly it little matters what I say, this or that or any other thing. Saying is inventing. Wrong, very rightly wrong. You invent nothing, you think you are inventing, you think you are escaping, and all you do is stammer out your lesson, the remnants of a pensum one day got by heart and long forgotten, life without tears, as it is wept.
We're [President Barack Obama and I] clear on the fact that we have to stay humble and prayerful. We have to dig down deep to our roots. When things come together, we know some of it is Barack, some of it is us-but a lot of it has nothing to do with either of us.
Divinity is not playful. The universe was not made in jest but in solemn incomprehensibl e earnest. By a power that is unfathomably secret, and holy, and fleet. There is nothing to be done about it, but ignore it, or see.
The majority of philosophers are totally humorless. That's part of their trouble.
I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war.
Introducing someone as a "Negro poet with a University degree" or again, quite simply, the expression, "a great black poet." These ready-made phrases, which seem in a common-sense way to fill a need-or have a hidden subtlety, a permanent rub.
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