“Man and his deed are two distinct things. Whereas a good deed should call forth approbation and a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed, whether good or wicked, always deserves respect or pity as the case may be. ‘Hate the sin and not the sinner’ is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practised, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.”
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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: M.K. Gandhi, 'An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth' (written 1925-29); Part IV, on hating the sin not the sinner. A dated primary work by Gandhi.
About this quote
Separating a person from their conduct lets you condemn what they did without letting hatred take root in you. Approve or disapprove of the deed freely, but the doer still merits respect or pity — because loathing the human being, rather than the act, is exactly how bitterness spreads from one person to the next.
When to use it
- A teacher disciplines a student's cheating while making clear she hasn't written the child off.
- A woman condemns a friend's betrayal yet refuses to let it curdle into lifelong hatred.
- A judge holds an offender accountable for the crime without treating him as beneath dignity.