“I think I have understood Hinduism correctly when I say that it is eternal, all-embracing and flexible enough to suit all situations.”
Share this quote
Attribution note
Wikiquote's only citation is a 2008 memoir with no primary Young India/Harijan/CWMG reference; a late secondary attribution. Plausible in tone but unconfirmed against any dated Gandhi source.
Likely origin: Only sourced to a 2008 memoir, Relentless Brush Strokes by Lalitha Shankar, p. 185; no primary Gandhi text located.
Review the attribution sourceAbout this quote
A tradition endures across centuries not by freezing but by bending — the same core carried into circumstances its founders never imagined. What looks like softness is really durability: rigid things snap under new pressure, while something supple absorbs it and keeps going.
When to use it
- A family recipe passed down for generations, adjusted for each new kitchen and diet yet still recognizably itself.
- A small business that keeps its founding values while completely reinventing how it sells online.
- A folk festival that adds fresh music every year but keeps the ritual its grandparents would still recognize.