“Stoning prophets and erecting churches to their memory afterwards has been the way of the world through the ages. Today we worship Christ, but the Christ in the flesh we crucified.”
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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: Attributed to Gandhi's writings on Christianity (reproduced in quote collections crediting his Collected Works); no dated primary (Young India/Harijan/CWMG volume) located.
About this quote
There's a familiar pattern where a society rejects its moral teachers while they're alive and inconvenient, then honors them once they're safely gone. The tribute costs nothing; it lets us revere the figure while quietly ignoring what they actually asked of us.
When to use it
- A whistleblower pushed out of a company that later names a conference room after her.
- A coach criticized for unpopular methods, then celebrated once the team he built keeps winning.
- A neighbor mocked for warning about a hazard everyone praises him for after it finally happens.