“Are creeds such simple things like the clothes which a man can change at will and put on at will? Creeds are such for which people live for ages and ages.”
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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's religion writings (his response to conversion debates, mid-1930s); plausibly genuine, exact wording unconfirmed.
About this quote
There is a real difference between a passing preference and a conviction people build a whole life around; the second kind carries the weight of generations and cannot be shed like a coat. Mistaking one for the other leads you to push others to just change their minds.
When to use it
- A recruiter expects a candidate to abandon a lifelong ethical line for a signing bonus and is baffled when she calmly declines.
- A newcomer assumes an elder will drop a decades-old family tradition after one persuasive argument over dinner.
- A manager treats an employee's religious observance as a scheduling quirk to negotiate away, and quietly damages the trust between them.