“There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for.”
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Attribution note
The underlying sentiment is a genuinely sourced Gandhi quote (Young India, 15 Nov 1920), but the popular two-sentence form here is a modern rewording ('I would die for'/'not a single cause'), so the exact candidate wording is not verbatim.
Likely origin: Paraphrase of a verified Gandhi line: 'There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for.' Young India, 15 Nov 1920 (CWMG Vol. 22, p. 169).
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There is a sharp moral line between what you will suffer and what you will inflict. Being willing to pay a personal price for a cause shows conviction; refusing to make anyone else pay with their life keeps that conviction from curdling into cruelty. Commitment stays whole without coercion.
When to use it
- A protester accepts arrest for blocking a demolition but will not throw a single punch at the crew.
- An activist goes on hunger strike over a policy yet keeps every demonstration strictly peaceful.
- A whistleblower risks her career to expose fraud but refuses to smear an innocent colleague to win.