All the seven deadly sins are man's true nature. To be greedy.

Hear the provocative words of Marilyn Manson, who, though clothed in controversy, spoke with piercing clarity about the human condition: “All the seven deadly sins are man’s true nature. To be greedy. To be hateful. To have lust. Of course, you have to control them, but if you’re made to feel guilty for being human, then you’re going to be trapped in a never-ending sin-and-repent cycle that you can’t escape from.” In these words, he names what the ancients feared and what many deny: that the impulses called sins are not foreign devils, but woven into the fabric of our being.

The origin of this saying lies in the long history of morality. From early Christianity came the doctrine of the seven deadly sins — pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust — named not only as dangers to the soul but as roots of all other evils. For centuries, men were taught to resist them, to flee them, to see them as poison. Yet Manson turns the thought upon its head: these impulses are not intrusions, but part of man’s true nature. To be human is to feel hunger, desire, envy, anger. The danger lies not in having them, but in being enslaved by them.

Consider the story of St. Augustine, who as a young man indulged freely in lust and pride. He prayed the famous words: “Lord, make me chaste — but not yet.” He knew these desires within himself, and for a time he drowned in them. Yet later he would transform, not by denying that such impulses were real, but by learning discipline, directing his energies toward philosophy, prayer, and teaching. His life illustrates the paradox: the sins are natural, but the challenge is mastery, not denial.

What Manson warns against is the cycle of guilt without growth — the endless rhythm of sin, repentance, relapse, and shame. If man believes that to feel desire, anger, or ambition is itself damnation, he will forever despise himself for being human. This despair becomes a cage, keeping him bowed in fear instead of rising in strength. To recognize that these impulses are part of nature is not to celebrate indulgence, but to break the chains of shame and to begin the true work: learning balance, discipline, and wisdom.

The meaning is thus: you are not less human for feeling greed, anger, or lust — you are human because you feel them. The task is not to destroy these impulses, but to harness them. Greed becomes ambition if guided by justice. Wrath becomes courage if tempered by mercy. Lust becomes passion when joined with love. To suppress without understanding is to invite corruption in secret; but to acknowledge and master is to transform weakness into strength.

The lesson for us is to cease despising our humanity. Do not fall into the trap of believing that imperfection makes you unworthy of growth or love. Instead, acknowledge the impulses within you, and then choose how to direct them. The fire that burns can also warm; the river that floods can also sustain. If you make peace with your nature, you can rise above it. If you only feel guilt for it, you will be crushed beneath it.

Therefore, take these practical actions: When anger rises, do not deny it — ask what truth it reveals, and channel it toward justice. When desire tempts, do not drown in it, but guide it toward love, art, or creation. When envy bites, let it show you what you yearn for, and then strive nobly for it. Above all, release yourself from the prison of shame. Replace guilt with responsibility, and repentance with transformation.

So remember Manson’s words: the seven deadly sins are not chains placed upon us from outside, but forces flowing within. To be human is to feel them; to be wise is to master them; to be free is to escape the cycle of guilt and rise into understanding. Do not despise your humanity — shape it. Do not fear your impulses — transform them. For in this labor lies the true dignity of man.