“It takes two to make a quarrel. If I do not want to quarrel with a Mahomedan, the latter will be powerless to foist a quarrel on me; and, similarly, I should be powerless if a Mahomedan refuses his assistance to quarrel with me.”
Share this quote
Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Gandhi, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule (1909/1910), Chapter 10, 'The Hindus and the Mahomedans.'
About this quote
A fight needs both hands pulling. Since it cannot continue without your participation, you always control your own half: refuse to be baited, decline to answer a provocation, and there is simply no quarrel left for the other person to force onto you.
When to use it
- A driver who lets a tailgater's aggression pass instead of speeding up to retaliate.
- A sibling who stops rising to the bait at family dinners, and the old feud quietly dies out.
- A coworker who answers a snide email with plain facts and gives the fight nowhere to go.