“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed.”
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Attribution note
Snopes and searches through roughly 100 CWMG volumes found no exact Gandhi source; the earliest attribution is Pyarelal's biography, which is itself disputed. Gandhi expressed a similar idea in different words. Popular but not primary-verified.
Likely origin: Widely credited to Gandhi but unverified; absent from CWMG per researchers. Earliest link is Pyarelal, Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase (1958), itself contested. Real related wording: 'Nature provides... just enough... for our daily needs.'
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There is usually enough to cover genuine need; the shortage appears when wanting has no ceiling. Telling apart what you actually require from what you're merely hoarding is what leaves room for others, and keeps shared resources from running dry.
When to use it
- A shared office fridge that feeds everyone until one person starts hoarding the snacks.
- A household that lives comfortably within its means while a neighbor drowns chasing upgrades.
- A village well that covers every family until a few over-draw it and it runs dry.