“Pikiran jahat menunjukkan bahwa kita sakit, jadi kita harus menghindarinya.”
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Attribution note
Indonesian: 'Evil thoughts show that we are sick, so we must avoid them.' Circulates in Indonesian Gandhi collections but no Young India/Harijan/CWMG or autobiography source can be found; popularity only, attribution unconfirmed.
Likely origin: Indonesian-language quote-collection line; no primary Gandhi source located
Review the attribution sourceAbout this quote
Harmful thoughts are read here as symptoms — signs that something inside needs tending — rather than commands to obey. The practical move is to notice such a thought without feeding it, treat it as a passing fever of the mind, and refuse to let it become the thing you actually act on.
When to use it
- Catching himself rehearsing a cruel remark, a man notices the urge, lets it pass, and says nothing he'll regret.
- When resentment toward a friend keeps looping, someone treats it as a signal to rest and reflect rather than a truth to broadcast.
- A stressed manager feels a flash of spite toward a rival and deliberately declines to act on it until he has cooled down.