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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. -Mahatma Gandhi

Cookingboy 9y ago
Except in China it goes like this: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you are never heard from again.
- gscott 9y ago
  and your family goes missing too.
- westiseast 9y ago
  * then you appear on state TV apologising for your tax crimes 10 years ago.
endgame 9y ago
People always quote this for all sorts of causes, but the fact that you're at one stage doesn't mean you're going to move to the next: - First they ignore you. Nobody ever notices you. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you. Nobody takes you seriously. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you. You lose. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Congratulations! Now who are you ignoring? ISTM you need to have a plan for crossing each of the three filters, rather than saying "they're fighting us, therefore we'll win". EDIT: It's even funnier if you realise that the quote is symmetric and using it as an argument also proves its opposite. Activists often sub in government/"the system" as the "they", but activists could be the "they" from the system's perspective. They start by ignoring the system, then mocking it, then fighting it, then the system wins?
- schoen 9y ago
  Also Gandhi apparently didn't say this in exactly this form: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi#Misattributed https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi#Misattributed https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/08/13/stages/#more-16632 https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/08/13/stages/#more-16632
- koonsolo 9y ago
  You have a very valid point here. But to me this quote is more of a "Hey, it's normal that you have setbacks, but keep going, it's part of winning". So to prevent: "Damn, they are ignoring me, I might as well give up".
- ubernostrum 9y ago
  I prefer the counterpoint of "They laughed at Galileo, they laughed at Einstein, and they laughed at Bozo the Clown".

Except in China it goes like this: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you are never heard from again.

gscott 9y ago
and your family goes missing too.
westiseast 9y ago
* then you appear on state TV apologising for your tax crimes 10 years ago.

endgame 9y ago

People always quote this for all sorts of causes, but the fact that you're at one stage doesn't mean you're going to move to the next: - First they ignore you. Nobody ever notices you. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you. Nobody takes you seriously. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you. You lose. - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Congratulations! Now who are you ignoring? ISTM you need to have a plan for crossing each of the three filters, rather than saying "they're fighting us, therefore we'll win". EDIT: It's even funnier if you realise that the quote is symmetric and using it as an argument also proves its opposite. Activists often sub in government/"the system" as the "they", but activists could be the "they" from the system's perspective. They start by ignoring the system, then mocking it, then fighting it, then the system wins?

schoen 9y ago
Also Gandhi apparently didn't say this in exactly this form: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi#Misattributed https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi#Misattributed https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/08/13/stages/#more-16632 https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/08/13/stages/#more-16632
koonsolo 9y ago
You have a very valid point here. But to me this quote is more of a "Hey, it's normal that you have setbacks, but keep going, it's part of winning". So to prevent: "Damn, they are ignoring me, I might as well give up".
ubernostrum 9y ago
I prefer the counterpoint of "They laughed at Galileo, they laughed at Einstein, and they laughed at Bozo the Clown".