Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
He defines non-violence as not seeking mercy from an opponent.
In plain terms
Non-violence does not ask for mercy.
What can you take from it?
Do not expect mercy in non-violence.

Where it applies

  • activism
  • conflict
  • moral reasoning

Putting it to work

  • maintaining integrity
  • advocating for rights

Questions to consider

  • Can non-violence include mercy?
  • When should you not seek mercy?

Another view

It sets a high bar that might exclude vulnerable groups.

More from Mahatma Gandhi

  1. Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting or walking. It is no exaggeration to say …

    Permalink to quote #210
  2. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

    Permalink to quote #212
  3. Speak only if it improves upon the silence.

    Permalink to quote #209

Related quotes

  1. If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race, would be co…

    Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi quote #22
  2. India is Gandhi's country of birth; South Africa his country of adoption. He was both an Indian and a South African citizen. Both countries contributed to his …

    Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela quote #71
  3. The Gandhian influence dominated freedom struggles on the African continent right up to the 1960s because of the power it generated and the unity it forged amo…

    Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela quote #72