"I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps"
About this Quote
Gandhi’s “simplicity” here isn’t a personality trait so much as a political technology. By calling himself “a simple individual liable to err,” he refuses the saintly pedestal his admirers kept trying to build under him, and he does it preemptively, before critics can turn inevitable contradictions into proof of hypocrisy. The phrase “like any other fellow mortal” is disarming on purpose: it drags the moral drama of leadership back down to human scale, where change is possible and repentance is intelligible.
The real pressure point is the second sentence. “I own, however” pivots from vulnerability to authority. Humility becomes a credential: not just the modesty to admit error, but the discipline “to retrace my steps.” That’s a demanding standard in public life because it frames reversal not as weakness but as ethical strength. Gandhi is also signaling what he expects from his movement. If the leader can confess mistakes, followers can accept correction, absorb setbacks, and keep nonviolence from hardening into dogma or macho endurance.
Context matters: Gandhi’s campaigns were iterative experiments conducted under colonial scrutiny, internal factionalism, and constant risk of violence. He did change course publicly (sometimes dramatically), and each change carried reputational costs. This line functions as a shield against the charge of inconsistency and as an invitation to judge him by method rather than infallibility. It’s leadership as self-auditing: the moral authority comes from the willingness to revise, not the claim to be right.
The real pressure point is the second sentence. “I own, however” pivots from vulnerability to authority. Humility becomes a credential: not just the modesty to admit error, but the discipline “to retrace my steps.” That’s a demanding standard in public life because it frames reversal not as weakness but as ethical strength. Gandhi is also signaling what he expects from his movement. If the leader can confess mistakes, followers can accept correction, absorb setbacks, and keep nonviolence from hardening into dogma or macho endurance.
Context matters: Gandhi’s campaigns were iterative experiments conducted under colonial scrutiny, internal factionalism, and constant risk of violence. He did change course publicly (sometimes dramatically), and each change carried reputational costs. This line functions as a shield against the charge of inconsistency and as an invitation to judge him by method rather than infallibility. It’s leadership as self-auditing: the moral authority comes from the willingness to revise, not the claim to be right.
Quote Details
| Topic | Humility |
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