I could find no explanation worthy of the Mahatma for his decision to accept leadership of the khilafat movement. The decision, it seemed to me, revealed the great man's proverbial Achilles' heel.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker critiques Gandhi's choice to lead the khilafat movement, suggesting it exposed a significant weakness in his judgment.
- In plain terms
- Gandhi's decision to join the khilafat movement seemed like a strategic mistake to this observer.
- What can you take from it?
- Even great leaders can make choices that reveal flaws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a leadership decision wise?
- How do we judge historical choices?
Another view
The critique relies on the speaker's perspective without full context.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi was a pacifist, but we might suspect him to have been something of a 'militant pacifist' at heart: he would have used force to prevent those who sought …
Permalink to quote #262 But, he was a bhakt not of Ram in his totality, that is of Ram the warrior also, but of Ram as Purushottam Purusha, that is, of Ram who set the ideal for ethic…
Permalink to quote #264 A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back -- but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.
Permalink to quote #261
Related quotes
To govern men, you must either excel them in their accomplishments, or despise them.
Benjamin DisraeliBenjamin Disraeli quote #1 The work of a director can be summed up in two very simple words. Why and How.
Peter BrookPeter Brook quote #1 I have always believed that success would be the inevitable result if the two services, the army and the navy, had fair play, and if we sent the right man to f…
Austen Henry LayardAusten Henry Layard quote #1