“Hate the sin and not the sinner' is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practised, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.”
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Source: The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography), Part IV, ch. 9 (1929).
About this quote
The idea sounds simple until you try it on someone who has actually hurt you. Collapsing a person into their worst act feels satisfying, yet it's precisely how contempt multiplies, each side writing the other off. Condemning a wrong while refusing to discard the wrongdoer is what stops bitterness from spreading.
When to use it
- A parent addresses a child's lie firmly while making clear the child is still loved.
- A community holds an offender accountable yet supports his return instead of exiling him for good.
- A manager corrects a serious mistake without branding the employee as worthless.