“If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of weakness in me?”
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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: Reported statement from Gandhi's 1946-47 brahmacharya (celibacy) 'experiments' involving his grandniece Manu, documented in biographies; not from a polished Gandhi text.
About this quote
The fear that pulling back will look like weakness can trap people into pressing on with something they should be questioning. Refusing to reconsider isn't strength; it's often pride wearing strength's mask. Real steadiness includes the freedom to stop when stopping is right, without reading it as defeat.
When to use it
- A manager keeps a clearly failing project alive only because canceling it would feel like admitting weakness.
- Someone drags out an argument long after being proven wrong, afraid that conceding will make him look small.
- An athlete plays through a genuine injury because sitting out feels like giving in, and makes it far worse.