The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose

Cultural

Even things that are good in themselves (such as the Bible) (see also Bible) can be twisted to serve bad purposes. This proverb comes from the play The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Stumbling upon a tweet from Ivanka Trump that quoted a Bible verse on Sunday — the day when politicians and their enablers get their holiness on — I was moved to respond with a line from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”: “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

From Fox News

In the meantime, just as the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, even well-intentioned authors will cite “the community” for theirs.

From Washington Post

Day 18 of the Aurora, Colo., shooting trial was an exercise in the old adage: The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

From Los Angeles Times

And ‘The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.’

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023