Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

Nonviolence abhors fear and therefore, secrecy.

True nonviolence is mightier than the mightiest violence.

Nonviolence and cowardice go ill together. True nonviolence is an impossibility without the possession of unadulterated fearlessness.

Nonviolence is the summit of bravery.

Perfect nonviolence is difficult. It admits to no weakness.

Nonviolence requires great patience.

The science of nonviolence can alone lead one to pure democracy.

My religion forbids me to belittle or disregard other cultures, as it insists, under pain of civil suicide, upon imbibing and living my own.

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.

To me the Mahabharata is a profoundly religious book, largely allegorical, in a way meant to be a historical record.

In the name of religion, we force widowhood upon our three lakh girl-widows who could not understand the import of the marriage ceremony.

It is no religion to have for one's wife a girl who is fit only to sit in one's lap, it is the height of irreligion.

The fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than that of the rose.

Satyagraha does not depend on outside help, it derives all its strength from within.

My purpose is to describe experiments in the science ofsatyagraha and not at all to describe how good I am.

Since satyagraha is a method of conversion and conviction, it seeks never to use the slightest coercion.

It is claimed for satyagraha that it is a complete substitute for violence or war.

For a satyagrahi brigade only those are eligible who believe in ahimsa and satya.

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

Lovers of Swaraj cannot rest till a solution is found which would allay Mussalman apprehensions and yet not endanger Swaraj.

Civil disobedience is a stimulation for the fighters and a challenge to the opponent, in the present instance, authority.

Civil disobedience is a preparation for mute suffering.

Civil disobedience means capacity for unlimited suffering, without the intoxicating excitement of killing.

Men in prison are "civilly dead" and have no claim to any say in policy.

Thanks to the Court's decision, only clean Indians (meaning upper caste Hindu Indians) or colored people other than Kaffirs, can now travel in the trains.

We believe as much in the purity of races as we think they (the Whites) do...by advocating the purity of all races.

There are a lot of ways to become a failure, but never taking a chance is the most successful. As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it.

Love is the humblest yet the most powerful force that the human being has.

Violence is the fear to other's ideals.

The external freedom won't be given to us but in the exact measure as we've known at a given moment, to developing our internal freedom.

It's more important to put the own heart in the prayer than to put other's words with nothing of the own heart.

If I did not have a sense of humor, I would have long ago killed myself.

Concentrate on your task.

We may stumble and fall but shall rise again; it should be enough if we did not run away from the battle.

Apparently, I've acted like a terrorist. But I'm not a terrorist.

The golden rule to apply in all such cases is resolutely to refuse to have what millions cannot.

I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been no dis-advantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage.

My idea of village SWARAJ is that is a complete republic, independent of its neighbors for its own vital wants, and yet interdependent for many others which dependence is a necessity.

When I don't understand something, I reach up and hold God's hand. And we walk together in silence.

My plea is for banishing the English language as a cultural usurper, as we successfully banished the political rule of the English usurper.

If any Englishman dedicated his life to securing the freedom of India, resisting tyranny and serving the land, I should welcome that Englishman as an Indian.

Personally I crave not for 'independence', which I do not understand, but I long for freedom from the English yoke.

To get rid of the infatuation for English is one of the essentials of Swaraj.

A smattering of English is worse than useless; it is an unnecessary tax on our women.

There is as much need for a change of heart among the Hindus and Mussalmans as there is among the British, before a proper settlement is arrived at.

The Britisher is the top dog and the Indian the underdog in his own country.

That I want to destroy British imperialism is another matter, but I want to do so by converting those who are associated with it.

India is less manly under the British rule than she ever was before.

The British power is the overlord without whom Indian princes cannot breathe.

My conception of dominion status implies present ability to severe the British connection if I wish to.