Painterly cracked brass compass partly buried in grey ash and glowing embers.

Original artwork, not a still

Dante Alighieri

The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker holds that staying neutral when a moral crisis demands a side is the gravest failing, deserving the fiercest punishment. On this view, refusing to choose between right and wrong is itself a choice, and no better than siding with wrongdoing.

Context reviewed

Share this quote