“We should do no work with attachment. Attachment to good work, is that too wrong? Yes, it is. If we are attached to our goal of winning swaraj, we shall not hesitate to adopt bad means. Hence, we should not be attached even to a good cause. Only then will our means remain pure and our actions too.”
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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: From 'The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi'; his commentary that even attachment to a good cause (swaraj) corrupts the means.
About this quote
Even a good goal, gripped too tightly, will start bending your methods. Once winning feels like everything, cutting a corner or telling a small lie begins to seem justified 'for the cause.' Holding the aim a little loosely is what keeps the means clean, because nothing is worth buying with them.
When to use it
- A founder refuses to mislead investors even though the mission genuinely matters to her.
- An activist turns down a dishonest tactic that would have sped up an otherwise just win.
- A parent won't pull strings to cheat their child ahead of more deserving applicants.