Zoroaster — "The evil shall be cast into darkness, but the righteous shall walk in light."
The evil shall be cast into darkness, but the righteous shall walk in light.
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More from Zoroaster
"He who brings forth life for the cattle and cultivates the earth with righteousness, he is the one who serves Mazda."
"Excessive liberty and excessive servitude are equally dangerous, and produce nearly the same effect."
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"Do not to others what ye do not wish Done to yourself; and wish for others too. What ye desire and long for, for yourself. This is the whole of righteousness, heed it well."
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About Zoroaster (c. 1500-1000 BCE (debated))
Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism, the first major religion of cosmic dualism between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Closely associated with The Buddha (near-contemporary Eastern moral-cosmological revolutionary). For an intellectual contrast, see Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of 'beyond good and evil' — Nietzsche appropriated Zarathustra's name for Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) precisely to invert the original's moral cosmology — the historical Zoroaster founded the good-versus-evil framework Nietzsche's character announces the end of.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Those who choose cruelty, deception, and harm end up isolated, confused, and cut off from clarity, while people who live honestly and do good move through life with understanding and purpose. The line frames morality as a binary with real consequences: wrongdoing dims a person's awareness and future, while integrity illuminates the path forward. It is less a threat than a description of how ethical choices shape the quality of one's existence.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster built his entire teaching around the cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda, the wise lord of light and truth, and Angra Mainyu, the spirit of deception and darkness. As a reforming priest who rejected older polytheistic rituals, he insisted every person must actively choose good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. This quote distills his signature dualism, where light and darkness are not just imagery but the literal moral fabric he preached across ancient Iran.
The era
Zoroaster lived in the Bronze or early Iron Age Iranian plateau, likely between 1500 and 1000 BCE, among semi-nomadic tribes practicing ritual sacrifice and venerating many deities. Ethical teaching tied to a single supreme god was radical then, predating Jewish, Christian, and Islamic monotheism. His light-versus-darkness framework later shaped Persian imperial religion under the Achaemenids and influenced concepts of heaven, hell, judgment, and a final savior that spread throughout the Near East.
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