There are people in this world whose deviation from all things holy came not as a result of their association with heathens or bandits, but as a result of their association with wise men.
Their fall was a result of their attempt to set impossible standards.
The evil inclination presents a type of world whose requirements cannot be met; in such a world, an inner crisis is inevitable.
The evil inclination confronts every individual with an insidious false dilemma:
Are you righteous or wicked?
Are you a decent person or not?
According to the evil inclination, every person must choose a side – he must be one or the other, and if he is neither, there is no place for him in this world.
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz