“The man who uses coercion is guilty of deliberate violence. Coercion is inhuman.”
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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: As quoted in Mahatma (ed. D.G. Tendulkar), Vol. 7 (1953), p. 82 — a secondary biography, not a dated primary publication.
About this quote
Coercion counts as violence here even when no blow lands: forcing someone to act against their will overrides their reason and treats them as an object to be shoved around. The alternative isn't passivity but persuasion — changing a mind by appeal keeps the other person's humanity intact.
When to use it
- A manager who wins agreement by explaining the plan gets steadier buy-in than one who threatens the team into it.
- A parent who reasons with a teen about curfew keeps the trust that ultimatums would burn.
- A negotiator who lets the other side reach the conclusion themselves ends up with a deal that actually holds.