“I am definitely of opinion that a public worker should accept no costly gifts.”
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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: Attributed to Gandhi's autobiography ('The Story of My Experiments with Truth').
About this quote
An expensive gift is rarely free — it plants a quiet sense of debt that can bend a decision later, even one the giver never asks for. Refusing it keeps a public role clean, so choices can rest on the public good rather than on who was generous.
When to use it
- A city inspector declines the contractor's weekend getaway so the safety report stays his own to write.
- A teacher returns a lavish present from a parent to keep grading blind to who gave what.
- A journalist turns down a company's paid luxury trip so the coverage owes nothing to the host.