You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
Indira GandhiRead
If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses that the true violence lies in the intentions of those who commit acts of violence, not in the act of dying itself.
Indira Gandhi's quote reflects on the nature of violence and the mindset of those who perpetrate it. She implies that even in the face of potential death from violence, what matters more is the moral and ethical implications of the actions taken by those who plot harm. This perspective empowers individuals to confront fear with courage, asserting that one's dignity in death is influenced more by their principles than by the brutality of their demise.
Themes
ViolenceDeathAssassinsCourageIntention
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about overcoming fear during turbulent political times.
More from Indira Gandhi
All quotes →All my games were political games; I was, like Joan of Arc, perpetually being burned at the stake.
Indira GandhiRead
The power to question is the basis of all human progress.
Indira GandhiRead
My father was a statesman, I'm a political woman. My father was a saint. I'm not.
Indira GandhiRead
People with clenched fists can not shake hands.
Indira GandhiRead
A nation' s strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow from others.
Indira GandhiRead
Similar quotes
But if the strength ain't real, I recall thinking the very last thing that day, before I finally passed out, then the weakness sure enough is. Weakness is true and real. I used to accuse the kid of faking his weakness. But faking proves the weakness is real. Or you wouldn't be so weak as to fake it. No, you can't ever fake being weak. You can only fake being strong. . .
Ken KeseyRead
Let me ask you, sir, when is the time for brave men to exert themselves in the cause of liberty and their country, if this is not?
George WashingtonRead
One arm might handicap me a little in competition, but I just work with what changes I know I have to make, and I'm pretty used to it now. It mainly depends on the wave conditions... I only get half the waves everyone else rides, so mine have to be good!
Bethany HamiltonRead
The worst thing is for a fighter to be in the ring with no hope - where he's missing and getting caught. You need to have hope.
Teddy AtlasRead
I'm not ashamed to dress "like a woman" because I don't think it's shameful to be a woman.
Iggy PopRead
I don't run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.
Nadia ComaneciRead