“In actual life, it is impossible to separate us into two nations. We are not two nations. Every Moslem will have a Hindu name if he goes back far enough in his family history. Every Moslem is merely a Hindu who has accepted Islam. That does not create nationality. We in India have a common culture. In the North, Hindi and Urdu are understood by both Hindus and Moslems. In Madras, Hindus and Moslems speak Tamil, and in Bengal, they both speak Bengali and neither Hindi nor Urdu. When communal riots take place, they are always provoked by incidents over cows and by religious processions. That means that it is our superstitions that create the trouble and not our separate nationalities.”
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About this quote
Lines between 'us' and 'them' tend to crumble when you trace back far enough: shared ancestry, a common tongue, the same food and songs. When such neighbors clash, the spark is usually a charged symbol or inherited fear, not a real gulf — so the cure is defusing the symbol, not splitting apart.
When to use it
- Two towns that speak the same dialect and marry across the river feud only over a disputed festival route.
- Departments with identical goals bicker over a logo or a seating chart, never over the actual mission.
- In-laws who cook the same holiday dishes clash mainly over which side hosts, not over real values.