"Perhaps it is impossible for a person who does no good to do no harm"
- Harriet Beecher Stowe
About this Quote
This quote by Harriet Beecher Stowe suggests that it is challenging for someone who does not actively do good to avoid doing harm. It suggests that even if someone does not actively look for to do excellent, their inactiveness can still have an unfavorable effect on others. This might be interpreted as a call to action, motivating people to take responsibility for their actions and to make every effort to do good in order to prevent doing damage. It could also be interpreted as a warning, suggesting that even if somebody does not actively look for to do damage, their inaction can still have an unfavorable influence on others. Eventually, this quote encourages people to take duty for their actions and to make every effort to do excellent in order to prevent doing harm.
"What is real is not the external form, but the essence of things... it is impossible for anyone to express anything essentially real by imitating its exterior surface"