Gandhi Quotes

"I claim to be an average man of less than average ability. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith."

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."

"I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmitted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmitted into a power that can move the world."

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence."

"If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide."

"In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place."

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."

Truth

"Truth is the first to be sought for, and Beauty and Goodness will then be added unto you."

"Truth is what the voice within tells you."

"Truth and nonviolence will never be destroyed."

"Truth is like a vast tree which yields more and more fruit the more you nurture it."

"Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time."

"Every truth is self-acting and possesses inherent strength."

"Truth, which is permanent, eludes the historian of events. Truth transcends history."

"Truth and nonviolence demand that no human being may debar himself from serving any other human being, no matter how sinful he may be."

"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it."

"Truth without humility would be an arrogant caricature."

"The quest of truth involves self-suffering, sometimes even up to death."

Justice

"Justice will come when it is deserved by our being and feeling strong."

"Justice does not help those who slumber but helps only those who are vigilant."

"Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds."

Freedom

"Freedom is like birth. Till we are fully free, we are slaves."

"Freedom received through the efforts of others, however benevolent, cannot be retained when such effort is withdrawn."

"No society can possibly be built on a denial of individual freedom."

"True nonviolence should mean a complete freedom from ill will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all."

Fear

"Where there is fear, there is not religion."

"It is weakness which breeds fear, and fear breeds distrust."

"The golden rule is to act fearlessly upon what one believes to be right."

"Fearlessness presupposes calmness and peace of mind."

Independence

"Independence means voluntary restraints and discipline, voluntary acceptance of the rule of law."

"Complete independence does not mean arrogant isolation or a superior disdain for all help."

If it is man's privilege to be independent, it is equally his duty to be inter-dependent."

Civil Disobedience

"Civil disobedience is the assertion of a right which law should give but which it denies."

"Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless corrupt."

"Disobedience to be civil implies discipline, thought, care, attention."

"Disobedience that is wholly civil should never provoke retaliation."

"Non-cooperation and civil disobedience are different but branches of the same tree call Satyagraha (truth-force)."

Character

"Your character must be above suspicion and you must be truthful and self controlled."

"The truest test of civilization, culture and dignity is character, not clothing."

"Men of stainless character will easily inspire confidence and automatically purify the atmosphere around them."

"All your scholarship would be in vain if at the same time you do not build your character and attain mastery over your thoughts and your actions."

Noncooperation

"Noncooperation means refusal both to help the sinner in his sin and to accept any help or gift from him till he has repented."

"Noncooperation is measure of discipline and sacrifice and it demands respect for the positive views."

"Nonviolent noncooperation with evil means cooperation with all that is good."

"Noncooperation is intended to pave the way to real, honorable and voluntary cooperation based on mutual respect and trust."

"Real noncooperation is noncooperation with evil and not with the evil doer."

"Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good."

Democracy

"Democracy necessarily means a conflict of will and ideas, involving sometimes a war to the knife between different ideas."

"The very essence of democracy is that every person represents all the varied interests which compose the nation."

"Democracy is a great institution and, therefore, it is liable to be greatly abused."

"Democracy is an impossible thing until the power is shared by all, but let not democracy degenerate into mobocracy."

"My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest."

"To safeguard democracy the people must have a keen sense of independence, self-respect and their oneness."

"In true democracy every man and women is taught to think for himself or herself."

"The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular."

Discipline

"Conscience is the ripe fruit of strictest discipline."

Faith

"Faith gains in strength only when people are willing to lay down their lives for it."

"What is faith if it is not translated into action?"

"Faith is not imparted like secular subjects. It is given through the language of the heart."

"Nonviolence succeeds only when we have a real living faith in God."

"My effort should never be to undermine another's faith but to make him a better follower of his own faith."

"My faith is brightest in the midst of impenetrable darkness."

"Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed."

"Even as a tree has a single trunk but many branches and leaves, there is one religion -human religion- but any number of faiths."

Food Fasting

"Fasting is an institution as old as Adam. It has been resorted to for self-purification or for some ends, noble as well as ignoble."

"A complete fast is a complete and literal denial of self. It is the truest prayer."

"A genuine fast cleanses the body, mind and soul. It crucifies the flesh and to that extent sets the soul free."

"What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner."

Morality

"True morality consists not in following the beaten track, but in finding out the true path for ourselves and in fearlessly following it."

"To observe morality is to attain mastery over our mind and our passions."

Patriotism

"My patriotism is not an exclusive thing. It is all-embracing and I should reject that patriotism which sought to mount the distress or exploitation of other nationalities."

"By patriotism I mean the welfare of the whole people, if I secure it at the hands of my opponent, I should bow down my head to him."

Satyagraha - Satyagrahi

"Satyagraha is a process of educating public opinion, such that it covers all the elements of the society and makes itself irresistible."

"Satyagraha is a relentless search for truth and a determination to search truth."

"The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid. Satyagraha teaches us the art of living as well as dying."

"Satyagraha, of which civil-resistance is but a part, is to me the universal law of life."

"Satyagraha is a law of universal application. Beginning with the family, its use can be extended to every other circle."

"Satyagraha does not depend on the outside help, it derives all its strength from within."

"The method of satyagraha requires that the satyagrahi should never lose hope, so long as there is the slightest ground left for it."

"For a satyagraha brigade only those are eligible who believe in ahimsa-nonvionlence and satya-truth."