Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Gandhi accepted violence as a last resort to defend honor over cowardice.
In plain terms
He said using force is better than being a coward in dishonor.
What can you take from it?
Defending honor may sometimes require force over passive acceptance.

Where it applies

  • moral dilemmas
  • conflict resolution
  • self-defense

Putting it to work

  • weigh moral choices
  • defend dignity
  • evaluate force

Questions to consider

  • When is force justified for honor?
  • How do you balance violence and dignity?

Another view

This justification could be misused to legitimize unnecessary violence.

More from Nelson Mandela

  1. Gandhi remained committed to nonviolence; I followed the Gandhian strategy for as long as I could, but then there came a point in our struggle when the brute f…

    Permalink to quote #73
  2. Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 at the age of 23. Within a week he collided head on with racism. His immediate response was to flee the country that so …

    Permalink to quote #75
  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…

    Permalink to quote #72

Related quotes

  1. I see that the flagpole still stands. Have your troops hoist the colors to its peak, and let no enemy ever haul them down.

    Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur quote #4
  2. Like an armed warrior, like a plumed knight, James G. Blaine marched down the halls of the American Congress and threw his shining lance full and fair against …

    Robert G. IngersollRobert G. Ingersoll quote #5
  3. I was angry with you about him, furious that he so much as set eyes on you. I would rather kill you than see you lie in his arms.' 'is that love then? A thing …

    Alice BorchardtAlice Borchardt quote #8