“restraint in diet both as to quantity and quality is as essential as restraint in thought and speech.”
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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 dietary and mental restraint.
About this quote
Self-control isn't parceled out by area; how you handle the plate belongs to the same discipline as how you handle your thoughts and your words. Let one go slack and the others usually follow, so watching what you take in matters as much as watching what you say.
When to use it
- Someone who reins in impulsive eating finds it easier to hold back impulsive comments too.
- A person tracking his words in arguments starts noticing the same looseness in his snacking.
- Cleaning up a chaotic diet gives a student the steadiness to also curb late-night doom-scrolling.