“Even if we believe in non-violence, it would not be proper for us to refuse, through cowardice, to protect the weak. I might be ready to embrace a snake, but, if it comes to bite you, I would kill it to protect you. If Arjuna had forgotten the difference between kinsmen and others and had been so filled with the spirit of non-violence so as to bring about a change of heart in Duryodhana, he would have been another Shri Krishna. However, he believed Duryodhana to be wicked.”
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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 Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi - discourse referencing Arjuna and Duryodhana.
About this quote
Non-violence isn't a licence for passivity when someone weaker is under threat — refusing to act out of fear is cowardice, not principle. The highest path would disarm an attacker by changing their heart, but short of that saintly power, shielding the vulnerable takes precedence.
When to use it
- A bystander steps between a bully and a smaller kid instead of looking away.
- A parent physically blocks a dog lunging at their toddler rather than freezing.
- A coworker speaks up when a colleague is being cornered and demeaned in a meeting.