Chances are, you’ve heard of Gandhi before. Wise and humble, this spiritual leader worked tirelessly to establish equality in his home country of India. We can all learn something from this collection of thoughtful quotes from Gandhi.
Born Mohandus Karamchand Gandhi, Gandhi entered the world at a time when India was under British control. He was ambitious from a young age, studying law and religion. Gandhi was fascinated by spirituality. To him, there was no superior religion. Everyone was equal.
Through his travels, Gandhi gained a stronger understanding of India’s (and the world’s) inequalities. He lived in South Africa for 20 years, experiencing first-hand the hate and inequality Indians faced even abroad.
These experiences inspired Gandhi’s nonviolent campaigns for equality. He soon became a major figure in India’s independence movement against Britain.
Despite how chaotic the times were, Gandhi still remained a peaceful figure. He maintained an ascetic lifestyle, fasting often and dressing simply in loincloth and shawl. His unpretentious mannerisms and activism earned him the title of ‘Mahatama,’ the ‘great-souled one’ in Sanskrit.
Just because Gandhi’s methods were peaceful, doesn’t mean everyone was keen on his vision. There were many, particularly Hindu Nationalists, who wanted Gandhi gone. So much so, they put an end to his life. On January 30th, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi.
The world lost a powerful and peaceful force. Thankfully, Gandhi’s words were preserved and shared. There is no doubt his incredible quotes will live on forever.
Here quotes from Gandhi on Equality, Spirituality, and Freedom
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“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”
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“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
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“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.”
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“Hate the sin, love the sinner.”
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“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
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“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
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“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.”
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“A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”
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“You don’t know who is important to you until you actually lose them.”
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“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
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“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
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“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
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“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”
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“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
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“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
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“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
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“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.
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“It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
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“The future depends on what you do today.”
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“I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.”
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“Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.”
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“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
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“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
Are you feeling moved by Gandhi’s quotes? We are too! His words help us to feel more enlightened about ourselves and the world. We hope you share these Gandhi quotes with others. It is a small way to spread peace – something this amazing man dedicated his life to advocating.
