Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.

The line frames moral courage as an active duty rather than a private sentiment. Gandhi often treated truth (satya) and nonviolence (ahimsa) as disciplines that require public accountability: when injustice or falsehood is at stake, refusing to speak can become a form of complicity. The quote also distinguishes principled silence (restraint, non-retaliation, or strategic quiet) from fear-based silence. Its force lies in linking speech to action—“speaking out the whole truth” must be matched by conduct—so that truth-telling is not mere rhetoric but a commitment to live consistently with what one knows to be right.