The path of self-purification is hard and steep. One has to become absolutely passion-free in thought, speech and action to rise above the opposing currents of love and hatred, attachment and repulsion. I know that I have not in me as yet that triple purity in spite of constant ceaseless striving for it. That is why the world's praise fails to move me, indeed it very often stings me. To conquer the subtle passions seems to me to be harder far than the physical conquest of the world by the force of arms.

Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today.

Nonviolence is not an easy thing to understand, still less to practice, weak as we are.

There is no such thing as compulsion in the scheme of nonviolence.

If the poet spun for half an hour daily, his poetry would gain in richness.

Every affliction has its own rich lesson to teach, if we would learn it.

Where there are millions upon millions of units of idle labour, it is no use thinking of labour-saving devices.