“Cowardice is impotence worse than violence. The coward desires revenge but being afraid to die, he looks to others to do the work of defense for him.”
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Source: Young India (11 August 1920), in The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 21, p. 133.
About this quote
The target here isn't aggression but the passivity that hides behind other people. Wanting someone punished while refusing to bear any risk yourself is the weaker stance; real courage means carrying your own share of the danger instead of quietly outsourcing it.
When to use it
- A person who wants a bully confronted but nudges a colleague to do it while staying safely out of sight.
- Someone nursing a grudge who hopes others will settle the score so their own hands stay clean.
- A resident who complains loudly about a local wrong but won't put their name on any petition.