“It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one's acts.”
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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: Attributed to Gandhi and cited in Judith M. Brown (ed.), 'Mahatma Gandhi: The Essential Writings' (OUP, 2008), p. 251. No specific Young India/Harijan/CWMG line confirmed.
About this quote
Trying to dodge the fallout of your choices breaks the link between action and result that keeps behavior honest. Facing consequences, paying the cost, making the repair, is how responsibility actually works. Escaping blame can feel like winning, but it quietly corrodes trust and character.
When to use it
- After a fender-bender in an empty lot, a driver leaves a note and pays instead of driving off unseen.
- A manager who approved a flawed plan takes the heat publicly rather than quietly blaming her team.
- A student caught copying admits it to the professor instead of inventing an elaborate excuse.