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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: Gandhi, An Autobiography (Experiments with Truth); passage on the legal profession.
About this quote
Being scrupulously honest inside a line of work doesn't redeem it when the work is rotten at the root; personal virtue can dress up a flawed system but never repair it. The harder question is whether the structure deserves your honesty in the first place.
When to use it
- An honest recruiter for a predatory lender realizes fair paperwork can't make the loans fair.
- A truthful salesman for a sham product sees that his candor doesn't fix what he's selling.
- A conscientious clerk in a rigged bureaucracy admits her integrity can't unbend the process.