Mahatma Gandhi quotes

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.

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

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

A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.

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

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

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

Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man's happiness really lies in contentment.

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

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.

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

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.

The good man is the friend of all living things.

Where there is love there is life.

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

Partition is bad. But whatever is past is past. We have only to look to the future.

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

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

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

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

We should meet abuse by forbearance. Human nature is so constituted that if we take absolutely no notice of anger or abuse, the person indulging in it will soon weary of it and stop.

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

Peace is its own reward.

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.

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.

Are creeds such simple things like the clothes which a man can change at will and put on at will? Creeds are such for which people live for ages and ages.

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

Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause.

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

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

Nobody can hurt me without my permission.

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

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

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.

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

If a man reaches the heart of his own religion, he has reached the heart of the others, too. There is only one God, and there are many paths to him.

Truth never damages a cause that is just.

It is the duty of every thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife.

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.

I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.

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

Morality is contraband in war.

I know, to banish anger altogether from one's breast is a difficult task. It cannot be achieved through pure personal effort. It can be done only by God's grace.

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.

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

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

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

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

God cannot be realized through the intellect. Intellect can lead one to a certain extent and no further. It is a matter of faith and experience derived from that faith.

I claim that human mind or human society is not divided into watertight compartments called social, political and religious. All act and react upon one another.

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

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

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

Those who know how to think need no teachers.

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.

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

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

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

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

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

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.

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

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

Man is supposed to be the maker of his destiny. It is only partly true. He can make his destiny, only in so far as he is allowed by the Great Power.

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

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.

My religion teaches me that whenever there is distress which one cannot remove, one must fast and pray.

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

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

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

Each one prays to God according to his own light.

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

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

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.

Where there is love there is life.

My life is my message.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God cannot be realized through the intellect. Intellect can lead one to a certain extent and no further. It is a matter of faith and experience derived from that faith.

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

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

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

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

The good man is the friend of all living things.

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

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

Religion is more than life. Remember that his own religion is the truest to every man even if it stands low in the scales of philosophical comparison.

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

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

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

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

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.

I did once seriously think of embracing the Christian faith. The gentle figure of Christ, so full of forgiveness that he taught his followers not to retaliate when abused or struck, but to turn the other cheek - I thought it was a beautiful example of the perfect man.

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

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

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

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

Morality is contraband in war.

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.

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.

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.

I did once seriously think of embracing the Christian faith. The gentle figure of Christ, so full of forgiveness that he taught his followers not to retaliate when abused or struck, but to turn the other cheek - I thought it was a beautiful example of the perfect man.

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

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

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

A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.

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

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

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.

Fear has its use but cowardice has none.

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.

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.

Man is supposed to be the maker of his destiny. It is only partly true. He can make his destiny, only in so far as he is allowed by the Great Power.

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

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

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

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

Non-violence is the article of faith.

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