Why Chanakya Said ‘Never Trust a Woman’—And What He Actually Meant
Riya Kumari | Mar 08, 2025, 23:56 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Chanakya. The man, the myth, the original strategist who could outmaneuver anyone in a political chess game before they even knew they were playing. He’s like a mix of Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and that one friend who always has a five-year plan (and spreadsheets to prove it). So, when the guy drops a line like “Never trust a woman,” it sounds—well—pretty bad. Like, textbook misogyny bad. The kind of thing that makes you want to roll your eyes so hard they do a full 360 and see your own past mistakes.
Chanakya was not a man of pleasantries. He didn’t write to comfort or to please—he wrote to prepare. His words weren’t meant to be embroidered on silk cushions; they were meant to be carved into the minds of those who sought power, survival, and success. So, when he said, “Never trust a woman,” it is easy to dismiss him as a product of his time, a relic of a bygone patriarchal age. But that would be lazy. Chanakya wasn’t just a philosopher; he was a strategist. His words weren’t about morality, but about power, and power has never been sentimental. To understand what he meant, you have to stop thinking about gender and start thinking about human nature.
1. Trust Is Not a Virtue—It’s a Strategy
Trust is often painted as a noble ideal, a virtue that makes us good people. But Chanakya didn’t see trust as an emotion—he saw it as a calculation. Trust, to him, was a contract, an agreement based on predictable behavior. And if behavior is unpredictable, trust is a liability. When he warned against trusting women, he wasn’t making a statement about women themselves. He was making a statement about the nature of trust and the power dynamics at play in relationships—personal, political, or otherwise.
Women, in his time, were often placed in vulnerable positions. Vulnerability breeds adaptability, and adaptability breeds intelligence. When survival depends on outmaneuvering stronger forces, deception becomes a skill, not a flaw. He understood that where there is power, there is strategy, and where there is strategy, trust must be given sparingly. The real mistake is assuming that trust should be given freely to anyone—man or woman—without understanding their interests, incentives, and circumstances.
2. Trust Should Be Earned, Not Assumed
If you replace “woman” in Chanakya’s words with “anyone whose interests you do not fully understand,” suddenly, his statement becomes timeless. Blind trust is the currency of the naïve. And history—both personal and political—is a graveyard of those who placed trust where it did not belong.
This doesn’t mean we walk through life suspicious of everyone, hoarding our trust like gold in a vault. But it does mean we understand that trust is an investment. And like any investment, it should not be placed in the hands of those who have the most to gain from betraying it.
3. What This Means for You
Chanakya’s lesson isn’t about distrusting women. It’s about understanding that people are driven by their own needs, desires, and circumstances. This applies to relationships, friendships, workplaces, and governments. If someone has something to gain from your blindness, they will take advantage of it. Not because they are evil, but because self-preservation is human nature.
So, the next time you find yourself placing trust in someone—ask yourself:
Do I understand their motivations?
Do they have a reason to act in my best interest?
Am I trusting because it is deserved or because I want to believe in them?
Chanakya wasn’t telling us to fear women. He was telling us to think. Because trust, when placed wisely, is a fortress. But when given blindly, it’s a weapon—one that will be used against you when the moment is right. And that, perhaps, is a truth that still stands the test of time.
1. Trust Is Not a Virtue—It’s a Strategy
Hug
( Image credit : Pexels )
Trust is often painted as a noble ideal, a virtue that makes us good people. But Chanakya didn’t see trust as an emotion—he saw it as a calculation. Trust, to him, was a contract, an agreement based on predictable behavior. And if behavior is unpredictable, trust is a liability. When he warned against trusting women, he wasn’t making a statement about women themselves. He was making a statement about the nature of trust and the power dynamics at play in relationships—personal, political, or otherwise.
Women, in his time, were often placed in vulnerable positions. Vulnerability breeds adaptability, and adaptability breeds intelligence. When survival depends on outmaneuvering stronger forces, deception becomes a skill, not a flaw. He understood that where there is power, there is strategy, and where there is strategy, trust must be given sparingly. The real mistake is assuming that trust should be given freely to anyone—man or woman—without understanding their interests, incentives, and circumstances.
2. Trust Should Be Earned, Not Assumed
Love
( Image credit : Pexels )
If you replace “woman” in Chanakya’s words with “anyone whose interests you do not fully understand,” suddenly, his statement becomes timeless. Blind trust is the currency of the naïve. And history—both personal and political—is a graveyard of those who placed trust where it did not belong.
This doesn’t mean we walk through life suspicious of everyone, hoarding our trust like gold in a vault. But it does mean we understand that trust is an investment. And like any investment, it should not be placed in the hands of those who have the most to gain from betraying it.
3. What This Means for You
Trust
( Image credit : Pexels )
Chanakya’s lesson isn’t about distrusting women. It’s about understanding that people are driven by their own needs, desires, and circumstances. This applies to relationships, friendships, workplaces, and governments. If someone has something to gain from your blindness, they will take advantage of it. Not because they are evil, but because self-preservation is human nature.
So, the next time you find yourself placing trust in someone—ask yourself:
Do I understand their motivations?
Do they have a reason to act in my best interest?
Am I trusting because it is deserved or because I want to believe in them?
Chanakya wasn’t telling us to fear women. He was telling us to think. Because trust, when placed wisely, is a fortress. But when given blindly, it’s a weapon—one that will be used against you when the moment is right. And that, perhaps, is a truth that still stands the test of time.