“If India adopted the doctrine of love as an active part of her religion and introduced it in her politics, Swaraj would descend upon India from heaven. But I am painfully aware that that event is far off as yet.”
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Source: "A Word of Explanation" in Young India (January 1921); main sourced 1920s section.
About this quote
Love treated as private sentiment changes little; woven into how a whole society governs itself, it could remake everything. Pairing that hope with plain honesty — naming a goal as worthwhile while admitting it's still far off — keeps the vision from curdling into wishful thinking.
When to use it
- A city council that weighs every budget cut by who gets hurt, then admits real change will take years.
- A manager who wants a genuinely kind team and accepts the culture won't shift in a single quarter.
- A volunteer coalition aiming to end local hunger while being honest about how far the need still outruns them.