“Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.”
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Misattributed quote
This aphorism is Matthew Henry's, long predating Gandhi; attaching it to Gandhi is a modern misattribution with no primary in his works.
Likely origin: Matthew Henry (English Bible commentator, 1662-1714): 'Prayer... is the key of the morning and the bolt of the night.' The saying predates and is not Gandhi.
Review the attribution sourceAbout this quote
This isn't Gandhi's line. It traces to the English Bible commentator Matthew Henry, roughly three centuries ago. The thought is about bookending the day: one deliberate practice to open it and another to close it, so the hours in between sit inside a frame instead of spilling out reactive and unbounded.
When to use it
- Someone opens each morning with ten quiet minutes of planning and ends the night writing down three things that went right.
- A team starts every project with a short kickoff and closes it with an honest retrospective.
- A family pauses to give thanks before dinner and trades highs and lows before the kids go to bed.