“This may all sound nonsensical. Well, India is a country of nonsense. It is nonsensical to parch one's throat with thirst when a kindly Mahomedan is ready to offer pure water to drink. And yet thousands of Hindus would rather die of thirst than drink water from a Mahomedan household. These nonsensical men can also, once they are convinced that their religion demands that they should wear garments manufactured in India only and eat food only grown in India, decline to wear any other clothing or eat any other food.”
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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: 'Third Class in Indian Railways' (1917); Gandhi on Hindu-Muslim relations and swadeshi.
About this quote
Deep conviction is a raw force that can drive senseless division or disciplined commitment, depending on where it is aimed. The provocation is that the same stubbornness people pour into prejudice could, redirected, power something genuinely useful.
When to use it
- A person who rigidly boycotts one brand out of a grudge channels that firmness into a steady local-buying habit instead.
- Someone stubborn about a petty family feud redirects the same resolve into a shared savings goal.
- A department's fierce rivalry with another team gets pointed instead at a fierce standard for their own work.