“Krishna of the Gita is perfection and right knowledge personified; but the picture is imaginary. That does not mean that Krishna, the adored of his people, never lived. But perfection is imagined. The idea of a perfect incarnation is an after growth.”
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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: From 'The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi' (his Gita discourses/introduction); plausibly genuine but the exact wording was not independently confirmed.
About this quote
A perfect figure can be a real compass even if it never existed exactly as pictured. The ideal is something people build up over time to hold their highest values, and its power comes from what it points you toward, not from whether every detail is literal history.
When to use it
- A young lawyer who models herself on an idealized mentor figure without expecting to match it exactly.
- A town that honors a founding legend for the values it carries, not for its historical precision.
- An apprentice who chases a 'perfect craftsman' image as a direction, knowing no one fully arrives.