1001Philosophers

Hannah Arendt Quotes on Virtue

Hannah Arendt was a 20th-century German-American political theorist whose work shaped post-war thinking about totalitarianism, political action, and moral responsibility. This page collects quotes attributed to Hannah Arendt on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Hannah Arendt:

    “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

  • Attributed to Hannah Arendt:

    “The banality of evil.”

  • Attributed to Hannah Arendt:

    “Forgiveness is the only reaction which acts in an unexpected way and thus retains, though being a re-action, something of the original character of action.”

  • Attributed to Hannah Arendt:

    “When all are guilty, no one is.”