“The only thing lawful is non-violence. Violence can never be lawful in the sense meant here, i.e., not according to man-made laws, but according to the laws made by Nature for man.”
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Source: Harijan (27 October 1946), p. 369 — Gandhi's own weekly journal, per Wikiquote sourced-quotes.
About this quote
Rules written by people can bless things a deeper standard still condemns; being permitted is not the same as being right. Measuring a choice by whether it harms, rather than by whether some code allows it, is a sturdier test than any statute.
When to use it
- A manager who refuses a legal but cruel layoff tactic even after HR signs off on it.
- A landlord entitled by contract to evict a struggling tenant in winter who works out a payment plan instead.
- A driver with the right of way who still eases off for the child hesitating at the crosswalk.