# Good Men Do Nothing Summary::A quote vaguely attributed to Edmund Burke. 3\. **“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”** Attributed to Edmund Burke, including by John F Kennedy in a speech in 1961. Burke didn’t say it, and its earliest form was by [John Stuart Mill,](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/04/good-men-do/) who said in 1867: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Thanks to Andrew Marshall. Clipped from [The Top 10: Misattributed Quotations](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-top-10-misattributed-quotations-a7910361.html) at 2023-09-01. --- # References