“Victory claimed by violence is tantamount to defeat for it is momentary”
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Attribution note
The idea is genuine and sourced on en.wikiquote (Satyagraha Leaflet No.13, 1919), but the candidate swaps 'attained' to 'claimed' and drops 'a', so it is a paraphrase, not verbatim, and cannot be treated as verified or narrated as written.
Likely origin: Variant of a genuine sourced Gandhi line: Satyagraha Leaflet No. 13 (3 May 1919) reads 'Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.'
Review the attribution sourceAbout this quote
Force can produce a surrender but not agreement, and the loser waits, resentful, for a chance to reverse it. A win resting on fear has to be defended forever, while a genuine change of heart needs no guarding at all. That is why coerced victories so rarely hold.
When to use it
- A manager who rules by intimidation gets compliance until the best people quit and take the work with them.
- A country that conquers by force spends generations policing a resentment it never actually resolved.
- A parent who wins every argument by shouting finds the teenager simply learns to lie more skillfully.