Mahatma Gandhi

collection of quotes by Mahatma Gandhi

Here is a compilation of inspirational and profound quotes from Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India’s independence movement and a global symbol of nonviolence, truth, and justice:

On Nonviolence and Peace:

“Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”
“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
“Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”
“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”

On Truth and Integrity:

“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.”
“The truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.”
“Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.”
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“There is no God higher than truth.”

On Freedom and Justice:

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.”
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”
“Justice that love gives is a surrender, justice that law gives is a punishment.”
“I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.”
“I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.”

On Self-Improvement:

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, 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.”
“You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.”
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

On Faith and Spirituality:

“Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.”
“The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him.”
“A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
“God has no religion.”
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”

On Social Responsibility:

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.”
“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.”
“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.”
“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”
“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

On Persistence and Patience:

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.”
“Patience means self-suffering.”
“The future depends on what we do in the present.”

On Simplicity and Humility:

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
“The simpler our lives, the fewer the demands on nature.”
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
“In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.”
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

On Leadership:

“A leader is useless when he acts against the promptings of his own conscience.”
“A weak man is just by accident. A strong but non-violent man is unjust by accident.”
“Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.”
“The best politics is right action.”
“The real ornament of a woman is her character, her purity.”
“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”

Mahatma Gandhi’s words highlight compassion, truth, humility, and the strength of peaceful resistance, motivating individuals to seek justice and righteousness through nonviolence and inner strength. His teachings persist in influencing movements for social justice, freedom, and human rights across the globe.