“I had never found people quick to pay the amounts they had undertaken to subscribe, and the Natal Indians were no exception to the rule. As, therefore, no work was done unless there were funds on hand, the Natal Indian Congress has never been in debt.”
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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 (Natal Indian Congress finances passage).
About this quote
Pledges are easy to make and slow to arrive, so building only on money actually in hand keeps a group out of debt. The discipline is unglamorous: no project starts on the strength of promises, only on funds that have truly cleared.
When to use it
- A nonprofit that waits for donations to land before hiring never faces a payroll it can't meet.
- A couple who buy furniture only once the cash is saved skip the credit-card hole their friends fell into.
- A small shop that restocks from real revenue, not projected sales, weathers a slow season intact.