Mark Twain Quotes About Evil

• So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: “Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is.” Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code.

  Mark Twain

  Religious, Blood, Law

  "Complete Works of Mark Twain".

• The lack of money is the root of all evil.

  Mark Twain

  Funny, Bible, Sarcastic

  Mark Twain, John Sutton Tuckey (1980). “The Devil's Race-track: Mark Twain's Great Dark Writings : the Best from Which was the Dream? and Fables of Man”, p.337, Univ of California Press

• Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.

  Mark Twain

  Funny, Work, Evil

  Mark Twain (2014). “Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist”, p.45, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

• It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart: the one to slander you and the other to get the news to you.

  Mark Twain

  Friendship, Hurt, Heart

  Following the Equator ch. 45, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" (1897)

• Heaven knows insanity was disreputable enough, long ago; but now that the lawyers have got to cutting every gallows rope and picking every prison lock with it, it is become a sneaking villainy that ought to hang and keep on hanging its sudden possessors until evil-doers should conclude that the safest plan was to never claim to have it until they came by it legitimately. The very calibre of the people the lawyers most frequently try to save by the insanity subterfuge ought to laugh the plea out of the courts, one would think.

  Mark Twain

  Cutting, Thinking, Long Ago

• Really, what we want now, is not laws against crime, but a law against insanity. That is where the true evil lies.

  Mark Twain

  Lying, True Evil, Law

  Mark Twain, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Mark Twain: All 13 Novels, Short Stories, Poetry and Essays”, p.2441, GENERAL PRESS

• The wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with a good object, and not an evil one; to lie for others' advantage, and not our own; to lie healingly, charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, maliciously; to lie gracefully and graciously, not awkwardly and clumsily; to lie firmly, frankly, squarely, with head erect, not haltingly, tortuously, with pusillanimous mien, as being ashamed of our high calling.

  Mark Twain

  Wise, Lying, Evil

  Mark Twain, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Mark Twain: All 13 Novels, Short Stories, Poetry and Essays”, p.2133, GENERAL PRESS

• Moralists and philosophers have adjudged those who throw temptation in the way of the erring, equally guilty with those who are thereby led into evil

  Mark Twain

  Evil, Temptation, Erring

• Half of the results of a good intentions are evil; half the results of an evil intention are good.

  Mark Twain

  Evil, Half, Good Intentions

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