“Ahimsa requires deliberate self-suffering, not a deliberate injuring of the supposed wrong-doer.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Attributed to Gandhi (cited here to 'Third Class in Indian Railways'); a definition of ahimsa as deliberate self-suffering, not injuring the supposed wrong-doer.
About this quote
Nonviolent resistance flips who bears the pain. Rather than making the opponent hurt, you choose to absorb the cost yourself — the arrest, the hunger, the loss — betting that a willingness to suffer without striking back moves the other side more than any blow could.
When to use it
- Workers who take unpaid days on strike rather than sabotage the factory floor.
- A protester who kneels and accepts arrest without resisting the officers.
- A sibling who quietly absorbs the blame to shame a bully into backing off.