“I have no doubt that the ideal is for public institutions to live, like nature, from day to day. The institution that fails to win public support has no right to exist as such.”
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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 organization propped up by a permanent endowment can drift for years while serving no one. Force it to earn its keep afresh each season and it has to stay useful, listen, and prove its worth, or fold. Depending on ongoing support is a discipline, not a weakness.
When to use it
- A charity that lives off yearly donations has to keep showing real results instead of coasting on an old reputation.
- A neighborhood library tracks whether people actually use it and reshapes its hours and programs when they don't.
- A hobby club lets each season's renewals decide which activities survive and which quietly end.