Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a visionary, both politically and spiritually. A pioneer of non-violent resistance, he paved the way for a how conflicts can be settled without resorting to violence.
His words on individual and moral integrity are as impactful today as when he first spoke them, particularly for anyone going through hard ethical and spiritual dilemmas, and serve as a reminder to all of us that one can find the balance to be gentle in action, but strong in conviction.
“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
“A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion.”
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
“A weak man is just by accident. A strong but non-violent man is unjust by accident.”
“Action expresses priorities.”
“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”
“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”
“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.”
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
“Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.”
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”
“Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.”
“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”
“Each one prays to God according to his own light.”
“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.”
“Faith… must be enforced by reason… when faith becomes blind it dies.”
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.”
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.”
“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.”
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
