“You civilised fellows are all cowards. Great men never look at a person’s exterior. They think of his heart.”
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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 An Autobiography; reads as reported dialogue (a companion challenging 'civilised' cowardice) rather than an original maxim of Gandhi's.
About this quote
Surfaces are easy to read and easy to get wrong. Weighing someone by their clothes, accent, or rank is a shortcut that flatters the one judging and misses the person. Character only shows when you pay attention to how they actually treat others.
When to use it
- A hiring manager who looks past a shabby résumé layout to the candidate's real work.
- A student who befriends the quiet new kid everyone else dismisses as awkward.
- A landlord who judges a tenant by how they keep the place, not by their accent.