“Die Anerkennung der grundsätzlichen Gleichheit und Einheit alles dessen, was lebt, schliesst bereits den Gedanken an Über- und Unterlegenheit aus.”
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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: German translation of a Gandhi line on the equality/unity of all life, from the German anthology 'Worte des Friedens'; original English wording unverified.
About this quote
Once you genuinely see every living thing as sharing the same basic worth, the whole ladder of higher and lower quietly collapses. Ranking people above or below you depends on forgetting that shared dignity; remember it, and the hierarchy loses its footing.
When to use it
- Greeting the office cleaner with the same warmth you show the CEO.
- A teacher giving equal attention to every student regardless of their family's status.
- Refusing to look down on someone because of their job title or bank balance.