“Sir Pherozeshah had seemed to me like the Himalaya, the Lokamanya like the ocean. But Gokhale was as the Ganges.”
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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); comparison of Pherozeshah Mehta, Tilak (Lokamanya) and Gokhale.
About this quote
People admire greatness in different registers: some figures command awe from a distance, others impress by sheer force, and a rare few feel warm and nourishing enough that ordinary people draw strength from them. That last kind tends to be loved rather than merely respected.
When to use it
- A brilliant but intimidating professor students respect, versus one they actually seek out for advice.
- A CEO everyone quietly fears compared with a manager whose door is always open.
- A famous relative you admire from afar next to the grandparent everyone confides in.