Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

I considered becoming a Christian... until I met one.

Basic education links the children, whether of the cities or the villages, to all that is best and lasting in India.

My faith in non-co-operation is as bright as ever.

Performance of one's duties should be independent of public opinion.

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

Women are special custodians of all that is pure and religious in life.

Perfect nonviolence is difficult. It admits to no weakness.

True swadeshi is that alone in which all the processes through which cotton has to pass are carried out in the same village or town.

Decency requires that when a programme is approved by the majority, all should carry it out faithfully.

The spinning wheel for us is the foundation for all public corporate life.

In the dictionary of the seeker of truth there is no such thing as being "not successful." He is or should be an irrepressible optimist because of his immovable faith in the ultimate victory of Truth, which is God.

I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.

Newspapers today have almost replaced the Bible, the Koran, the Gita and other religious scriptures.

The future of India lies in its villages

I would not sell the vital interests of the untouchables for the sake of winning the freedom of India.

Conversion without a clean heart is a denial of God and religion.

My religion teaches me that I should, by my personal conduct, instill into the minds of those who might hold different views the conviction that cow killing is a sin.

Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?

Selfless action is a source of strength.

A warrior lives on his wars, whether offensive or defensive. And he suffers a collapse if he finds that his warring capacity is unwanted.

Swaraj of a people means the sum total of the Swaraj (self-rule) of individuals.

In my humble opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good. But in the past, non-cooperation has been deliberately expressed in violence to the evildoer. I am endeavoring to show my countrymen that violent non-cooperation only multiplies evil and that evil can only be sustained by violence. Withdrawal of support of evil requires complete abstention from violence. Non-violence implies voluntary submission to the penalty for non-cooperation with evil.

Imperfect men have no right to judge other imperfect men.

Whatever may be the pros and cons of going to the public theatre, it is a patent fact that it has undermined the morals and ruined the character of many a youth in his country.

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.

I have but shadowed forth my intense longing to lose myself in the Eternal and become merely a lump of clay in the Potter's divine hands so that my service may become more certain because uninterrupted by the baser self in me.

A votary of ahimsa must cultivate the habit of unremitting toil, sleepless vigilance, ceaseless self-control.

After long study and experience, I have come to the conclusion that (1) all religions are true; (2) all religions have some error in them; (3) all religions are almost as dear to me as my own Hinduism, in as much as all human beings should be as dear to one as one's own close relatives.

Marriage is not an act of services. It is a comfort man or woman seeks for himself or herself.

Faith becomes lame, when it ventures into matters pertaining to reason!

I shall, of course, die with nonviolence on my lips.

Hunger is the argument that is driving India to the spinning wheel.

If India is not to declare spiritual bankruptcy, religious instruction of its youth must be held to be at least as necessary as secular instruction.

What is a man if he is not a thief who openly charges as much as he can for the goods he sells?

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.

It was our love of foreign cloth that ousted the wheel from its position of dignity.

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

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Khaddar does not displace a single cottage industry.

I see neither bravery nor sacrifice in destroying life or property, for offense or defense.

I believe in absolute oneness of God and therefore also of humanity.

Hinduism with its message of ahimsa is to me the most glorious religion in the world.

There is already enough superstition in our country. No effort should be spared to resist further addition in the shape of Gandhi worship.

He who is ever brooding over result often loses nerve in the performance of his duty.

Detachment is not indifference. it is the prerequisite for effective involvement. Often what we think is best for others is distorted by our attachments to our opinions. We want others to be happy in the way we think they should be happy. It is only when we want nothing for ourselves that we are able to see clearly into others needs and understand how to serve them.

I have endeavored to show that there is no real service of humanity in the profession of medicine and that it is injurious to mankind.

As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality.

If India won her freedom through truth and non-violence, India would not only point the way to all the exploited Asiatic nations, she would become a torch-bearer for the Negro races.