“In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all.”
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Attribution note
No citation in Gandhi's writings and the phrasing is generic; appears only on aggregator quote sites, so the attribution is unsupported.
Likely origin: No primary Gandhi source; circulates on quote sites under his name, likely apocryphal or a paraphrase. Origin unknown.
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Half-hearted, resentful effort tends to show — in sloppy work, in the way people feel handled rather than helped. Bringing genuine care to a task, or declining it outright, spares everyone the grudging middle. Care is also what makes ordinary jobs bearable and, usually, better done.
When to use it
- A cook who resents the work plates food carelessly; one who enjoys it makes the same dish sing.
- A volunteer who only shows up out of guilt does more harm than staying home would.
- A parent fully present at bedtime, phone away, gives more than an hour of distracted company.