“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. Then you win.” ~ not Mohandas Gandhi

It’s an awesome, inspiring, timeless quote. It epitomizes the life and philosophy of Gandhi, a non-violent, imperfect inspiration and hero of our time.

‘Then they misquote you.”

But Gandhi, Mr. Satyagraha himself, never said it.

…but it is strikingly similar to something that the trade unionist Nicholas Kleingave in a 1914 address to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers ofAmerica in Baltimore:

“First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.”

 

He didn’t say this famous quote, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpjBWw5w444

Bonus: the real Gandhi, in a first television interview: