Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Mahatma Gandhi Philosopher

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: India
  • Born: Oct 2, 1869
  • Died: Jan 30, 1948

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the preeminent leader of Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma —applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa,—is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu in India.

Born and raised in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujarat, western India, and trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, Gandhi first employed nonviolent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, but above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

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. peace & war

Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts. alone, faith & God

Let everyone try and find that as a result of daily prayer he adds something new to his life, something with which nothing can be compared. life

Infinite striving to be the best is man's duty it is its own reward. Everything else is in God's hands. best & God

Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is. politics & religion

Fear has its use but cowardice has none. fear

Fear of death makes us devoid both of valour and religion. For want of valour is want of religious faith. death, faith, fear & religion

It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. wisdom

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator. beauty & religion

I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world. great & truth

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth. truth

What is true of the individual will be tomorrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope. hope

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. strength

Non-violence and truth are inseparable and presuppose one another. truth

When restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible. strength

God is, even though the whole world deny him. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained. God & truth

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

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. forgiveness

What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea. good

Religion is a matter of the heart. No physical inconvenience can warrant abandonment of one's own religion. religion

Morality is contraband in war. war

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men. great & men

Non-violence is the article of faith. faith

My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him. God, religion & truth

Violent men have not been known in history to die to a man. They die up to a point. history & men

Justice that love gives is a surrender, justice that law gives is a punishment. love

Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living? freedom & life

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion. religion

But for my faith in God, I should have been a raving maniac. faith & God

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. peace

The pursuit of truth does not permit violence on one's opponent. truth

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

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. faith & society

Man can never be a woman's equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her. nature

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into. faith

There is more to life than increasing its speed. life & society

Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself. freedom

Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul. relationship

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary the evil it does is permanent. good

Where there is love there is life. life & love

All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth. truth

Where love is, there God is also. God & love

I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers. equality

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest. history

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. anger

It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity. God & work

Let us all be brave enough to die the death of a martyr, but let no one lust for martyrdom. death

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear. nature & truth

Faith... must be enforced by reason... when faith becomes blind it dies. faith

The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart. change

Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. freedom

I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following. future & God

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. fitness & health

Unwearied ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience. experience & faith

It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings. men

Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality. truth

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

Peace is its own reward. peace

A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion. religion

Is it not enough to know the evil to shun it? If not, we should be sincere enough to admit that we love evil too well to give it up. love

There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. God

Non-violence requires a double faith, faith in God and also faith in man. faith & God

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

Each one prays to God according to his own light. God

A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal. good

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. best

Those who know how to think need no teachers. teacher

Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up. anger

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. change

Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. morning

The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body. life

There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever. faith & God

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. happiness

The good man is the friend of all living things. good & nature

I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles but today it means getting along with people. leadership & time

Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent. age & religion

Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause. faith

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. peace

If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm. faith, patience & time

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

One's own religion is after all a matter between oneself and one's Maker and no one else's. religion

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

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. faith & history

Measures must always in a progressive society be held superior to men, who are after all imperfect instruments, working for their fulfilment. men & society

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. inspirational

Truth never damages a cause that is just. truth

Purity of personal life is the one indispensable condition for building up a sound education. education & life

God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us. God & truth

God sometimes does try to the uttermost those whom he wishes to bless. God

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. religion

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. learning

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. good

There is no principle worth the name if it is not wholly good. good

My life is my message. life

Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been know to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature. love & nature

It is my own firm belief that the strength of the soul grows in proportion as you subdue the flesh. strength

Only he can take great resolves who has indomitable faith in God and has fear of God. faith, fear, God & great

Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep. anger

I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others. good & men

Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained. truth