Portrait of Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt

Banality of evil, political theory

Modern influential 93 sayings

Sayings by Hannah Arendt

Politically, the weakness of the argument has always been that those who choose the lesser evil forget very quickly that they chose evil.

1946 — Letter to Karl Jaspers
Political Unverifiable

The greatest evil in the world is the evil which is done by nobody, the evil which is done by all of us.

1964 — Interview with Günter Gaus, 'Zur Person'
Food & Drink Unverifiable

No one has the right to obey.

1964 (lecture) — Responsibility for Evil
General Unverifiable

The greatest danger for modern dictatorships is not the active opposition but the passive resistance of the populace.

1951 — The Origins of Totalitarianism
Food & Drink Unverifiable

The only way to escape the absurdity of life is to live it to the full.

Unknown — Attributed, but seems to capture her ethos of active engagement.
Life & Aging Unverifiable

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.

1958 — The Human Condition
General Unverifiable

The world is not defined by the past, but by the future.

Unknown — Attributed, but consistent with her forward-looking philosophy.
General Unverifiable

Action, to be free, must be for the sake of starting something new.

1958 — The Human Condition
General Unverifiable

The trouble with modern philosophy is that it has forgotten how to think.

Unknown — Attributed, a common criticism of hers.
General Unverifiable

The freedom to be political is the freedom to change the world.

Unknown — Attributed, reflecting her political philosophy.
General Unverifiable

The world is not a home, but a stage.

Unknown — Attributed, often used to describe her view of public life.
General Unverifiable

The most basic human need is to be seen and heard.

Unknown — Attributed, in context of her emphasis on public appearance and speech.
General Unverifiable

Evil comes from a failure to think. It is a lack of imagination.

Post-1963 — Drawing from 'Eichmann in Jerusalem'
General Unverifiable

The world is an arena, not a home.

Unknown — Attributed, similar to the 'stage' quote, emphasizing public action.
General Unverifiable

The essence of totalitarian government is terror, and its principle of action is the logical deduction from an ideological premise.

1951 — The Origins of Totalitarianism
General Unverifiable

To be free means to be able to begin.

1958 — The Human Condition
General Unverifiable

The only possible answer to the problem of evil is to refuse to participate in it.

Unknown — Attributed, stemming from her work on personal responsibility.
General Unverifiable

The public realm is where human beings appear to each other.

1958 — The Human Condition
General Unverifiable

Thinking is a dangerous business.

1978 — The Life of the Mind
Work & Money Unverifiable

The only way to be truly human is to be political.

Unknown — Attributed, reflecting her view of politics as essential to human flourishing.
General Unverifiable
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