Best Necessary Evil Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

Source: Sermons Preached Before His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales: During His Tour in the East in the Spring of 1862 with Notices of Some of the Localities Visited

“The law is an expression of God 's holy will and as such must be honored and loved," said the preacher piously. "Rubbish," said the Master. "The law is a necessary evil and as such must be cut down to the barest minimum. Show me a lover of the law and I will show you a muttonheaded tyrant .”

Said Shows Law Evil Cutting Expression Masters Lovers Holy Tyrants Preacher Minimum Show Me Honored Rubbish Necessary Evil

Author:Anthony de Mello

“Yeah, I don't think you can live anywhere else - it's such a great city [New York]. L.A. is kind of a necessary evil, but man, I love going back to New York.”

Thinking Men Kind Evil Cities New York Yeah Great Cities Necessary Evil

Author:Will Arnett

“I hate to shop. I consider it one of life's necessary evils, like brussels sprouts and high-heeled shoes.”

Hate Evil I Hate Shoes Shops Shopping Sprouts Brussels Necessary Evil Brussel Sprouts

Book:Guilty Pleasures: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel

Source: Guilty Pleasures: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel

“Conventional wisdom, fooled by our misleading "physical intuition", is that the real world is "continuous", and that discrete models are necessary evils for approximating the "real" world, due to the innate discreteness of the digital computer.”

World Real Evil Computer Models Intuition Dues Digital Real World Conventional Innate Mislead Fooled Conventional Wisdom Necessary Evil Discrete

Author:Doron Zeilberger

“Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.”

Life Inspirational Evil Greater Doors Advice Live Life Necessary Evil Lesser Evil Worldly Wisdom

Book:The Art of Worldly Wisdom

Source: The Art of Worldly Wisdom

“While in some quarters it is felt that the critic is just a necessary evil, most serious-minded, decent, talented theater people agree that the critic is an unnecessary evil.”

People Evil Felt Serious Theater Agree Critics Decent Quarters Unnecessary Necessary Evil

Author:Jean Kerr

“Government is only a necessary evil, like other go-carts and crutches. Our need of it shows exactly how far we are still children. All governing overmuch kills the self-help and energy of the governed.”

Needs Children Stills Self Helping Shows Government Evil Energy Self Help Governing Carts Crutches Necessary Evil

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“A lot of auditions are not fun; they're just a necessary evil, and, if you're lucky, you have a few moments that are fun.”

Ifs Moments Evil Fun Lucky Auditions Lucky You Necessary Evil

Author:Kristen Connolly

“I hate dealing with the press. But I think it is a necessary evil.”

Thinking Hate Evil I Hate Presses Necessary Evil

Author:Amy Carter

“Woman is a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic peril, a deadly fascination, and a painted ill.”

Evil Natural Ill Scary Temptation Desirable Peril Fascination Calamity Necessary Evil

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“The Declaration [of Independence] was not a protest against government, but against the excess of government. It prescribed the proper role of government, to secure the rights of individuals and to effect their safety and happiness. In modern society, no individual can do this alone. So government is not a necessary evil but a necessary good.”

Government Evil Individual Can Do Roles Rights Modern Effects Safety Independence Secure Protest Excess Declaration Declaration Of Independence Modern Society Necessary Evil Role Of Government

Author:Gerald R. Ford

“In order to forgive reason for the evil it has wrought on the majority of men, we must imagine for ourselves what man would be without his reason. 'Tis a necessary evil.”

Men Reason Would Be Order Evil Imagine Majority Forgiving Necessary Evil

Book:The Cynic's Breviary: Maxims and Anecdotes from Nicolas de Chamfort

Source: The Cynic's Breviary: Maxims and Anecdotes from Nicolas de Chamfort

“Controversy, though always an evil in itself, is sometimes a necessary evil.”

Sometimes Evil Controversy Necessary Evil

Book:Thoughts and Apophthegms: From the Writings of Archbishop Whateley

Source: Thoughts and Apophthegms: From the Writings of Archbishop Whateley

“Marriage, if one will face the truth, is an evil, but a necessary evil.”

Ifs Faces Evil Truth Is Necessary Evil Facing The Truth

Author:Menander

“The editing process is a necessary evil. I can write until the cows come home but it is all garbage until it gets edited.”

Writing I Can Home Evil Process Coming Home Cows Editing Garbage Edited Necessary Evil

Author:Kim Smith

“Woman -a foe of friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary evil.”

Evil Punishment Foe Necessary Evil

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“I believe you can divide the people in to two basic groups, those who believe government is a necessary good and those who believe it is a necessary evil, those who want government to take care of them, those who want government to leave them alone.”

People Want Believe Two Government Care Evil I Believe Groups Take Care Divides Believe You Can Necessary Evil

Author:Lyn Nofziger

“The government's appearing to be a necessary evil does not oblige people to trust it. We face a choice of trusting government or trusting freedom-trusting overlords who have lied and abused their power or trusting individuals to make the most of their own lives.”

People Doe Government Faces Choices Evil Individual Lied Appearing Necessary Evil

Author:James Bovard

“It is said that government is a necessary evil, but it is far more evil than it is necessary.”

Said Government Evil Necessary Evil

Author:James Cook

“The existence of poverty in the US should not be accepted as a necessary evil or insoluble problem, but should be considered a crisis requiring emergency measures. It is a matter of will and priorities, not a matter of resources.”

Should Matter Problem Evil Existence Poverty Resources Crisis Accepted Priorities Emergencies Necessary Evil

Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.

“My poems - like my family life, my life with friends, my teaching - these things express who I am. I don't feel any extra responsibilities or relishes or necessary evils in them. They are part of who I am, with all of those customary desires and doubts, purposes and confusions that come along with being a particular person.”

Feels Persons Desire Purpose Evil Responsibility Doubt Teaching Particular My Family Who I Am Confusion Extras Family Life Relish Necessary Evil

Author:Robert Pinsky

“The Founders recognized that Government is quite literally a necessary evil, that there must be opposition, between its various branches, and between political parties, for these are the only ways to temper the individual's greed for power and the electorates' desires for peace by submission to coercion or blandishment.”

Way Government Political Desire Evil Individual Party Greed Various Branches Opposition Temper Founders Political Parties Submission Coercion Electorate Necessary Evil

Author:David Mamet

“It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good.”

May Evil Accepting Honesty Acceptance Labels Good And Evil Good Against Evil Necessary Evil Lesser Evil Evil World

Book:Margaret Mead, some personal views

Source: Margaret Mead, some personal views

“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”

“For centuries the leaders of Christian thought spoke of women as a necessary evil, and the greatest saints of the Church are those who despise women the most.”

Christian Evil Church Leader Atheism Century Saint Positive Atheism Spokes Despise Necessary Evil

Book:Christianity: Its Evidences, Its Origin, Its Morality, Its History

Source: Christianity: Its Evidences, Its Origin, Its Morality, Its History

“Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody's got to pay for them so they're a necessary evil.”

Ifs Want Success Evil Business Pay Responsibility Taxes Self Improvement Good Things Business Success Necessary Evil

Author:Michael Bloomberg

“Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.”

Funny Evil Work Avoided Necessary Evil

Book:Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist

Source: Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist

“Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins ... Society is in every state a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”

Littles Different States Government Evil Worst Blessing Distinction Necessary Evil No Common Sense

Book:Common Sense: and The American Crisis I

Source: Common Sense: and The American Crisis I

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

People Ifs Humans Heart Wisdom Evil Fun Peace Lines Human Beings Simple Pieces Cutting Humility Willing Deeds Good And Evil Dividing Evil People Necessary Evil Gulags

Author:Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“Do not let us mistake necessary evils for good.”

Evil Mistake Necessary Evil

Book:The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C. S. Lewis

Source: The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C. S. Lewis

“For particulars, as everyone knows, make for virtue and happiness; generalities are intellectually necessary evils. Not philosophers but fretsawyers and stamp collectors compose the backbone of society.”

Knows Evil Virtue Philosopher Stamps Collectors Backbone Generalities Brave New World Necessary Evil Brave New World Happiness Brave New World Character Virtue And Happiness Brave New World Consumerism

Author:Aldous Huxley

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.”

Source: Common Sense & The Rights of Man - The Voice of the American Revolution: Words of a Visionary That Sparked the Revolution and Remained the Core of American Democratic Principles

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”