“Conversion in the sense of self-purification, self-realization, is the crying need of the hour. That, however, is not what is meant by proselytising. To those who would convert India, might it not be said, ‘physician heal thyself’?”
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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: The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 46 (c. Oct 1927), pp. 28-29; surfaced via S.R. Goel, History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)
About this quote
Before pouring energy into reforming other people, the harder and more useful work usually points inward. Cleaning up your own conduct earns the standing to speak, and often the quiet example does more persuading than the lecture ever could.
When to use it
- Someone lecturing friends about fitness while their own gym membership sits unused.
- A manager preaching work-life balance while emailing the team at midnight.
- A parent telling kids to read more who never opens a book themselves.