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On ne veut jamais le mal pour soi.

On ne veut jamais le mal pour soi.
One never wants evil for oneself.
From Lesson 283:The indefinite stressed pronoun (soi)·French

Questions & Answers about On ne veut jamais le mal pour soi.

Why use soi here instead of another stressed pronoun like lui or moi?
soi is the indefinite stressed pronoun. You use it when the subject of the sentence is an indefinite pronoun like on, chacun (everyone), or personne (no one). Since the subject here is on, we use soi to mean oneself and refer back to it.
Could I say On ne veut jamais le mal pour lui?
Yes, but it changes the meaning completely! If you say pour lui, it means for him (a specific male person). By using soi, you ensure the pronoun reflects back to the indefinite subject on, meaning for oneself.
Why is there no pas after the verb?
The phrase ne ... jamais (never) is a complete negative structure on its own. In French, negative words like jamais, rien (nothing), and personne (nobody) replace pas. Using both together would be incorrect.
Why do we need le before mal?
In French, general ideas and abstract concepts always require a definite article (le, la, l', or les). While English just says evil or harm with no article, French requires le mal.

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