"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." -Anonymous

This concept has vexed me since I had first heard this, just about a complete decade ago. The more good things I do, the more bad things I justify in my actions? For me, there is no desire to justify any wrongs that I may have committed, Because whatever I have done has just built me up to who I am today. Although I am curious, in what way does my shadow grow? Does it effect my influence, my following, my ability to commit evil acts, or what? What I have come to realize about the former quote is that it shows the direct balance between light and dark, with more light comes more dark, and without light, there are no shadows at all. So I think the biggest question here is, How big do I let my shadow get before it engulfs me?