““Only the other day, a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted Hindus, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who, only a little while ago, believed that God was there.””
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Source: Harijan (11 May 1935), the English weekly founded by M.K. Gandhi.
About this quote
Leaning on someone's desperation to win their allegiance, then destroying what they held sacred, corrupts the whole thing—belief taken from the starving isn't belief. What people revere isn't yours to bargain for or to tear down, whatever your cause.
When to use it
- A lender pushing a predatory loan on someone in a cash crisis, then seizing their home.
- An employer dangling a paycheck to make desperate workers sign away rights they'd never accept otherwise.
- A recruiter exploiting a grieving family to pull them into a group, then stripping what they valued.