“There is a taint worse than all other taints: ignorance is the greatest taint. Discarding this taint, be stainless and free.”
Canonical Pali Original: Tato malā malataraṃ, avijjā paramaṃ malaṃ; Etaṃ malaṃ pahantvāna, nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo.
— Gautam Buddha
The Awakened One, Founder of Dhamma
Pali Canon: Dhammapada 18.243 establishing ignorance (Avijja) as the root cause of all unwholesome states and social degradation.