“Eles não conseguem tirar o nosso respeito próprio se não o entregarmos a eles.”
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Attribution note
The self-respect line is widely credited to Gandhi but its documented source is the 1982 film's dialogue, not Gandhi's published works; this is a Portuguese version of that screenplay line.
Likely origin: Portuguese rendering of 'They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them' — traceable source is the 1982 film 'Gandhi' screenplay, not a verbatim Gandhi writing.
Review the attribution sourceAbout this quote
Dignity is held from the inside. Others can insult, exclude, or demean, but the insult only lands as self-doubt if you accept their verdict as true. The practical move is to separate how you are treated from how you rate yourself, and refuse to sign off on the contempt.
When to use it
- An employee passed over for a promotion keeps doing careful work instead of deciding she is worthless.
- A kid mocked for his accent answers calmly and keeps speaking, refusing to feel small.
- Someone shamed for their debt builds a repayment plan rather than accepting a label of failure.