Friday, November 12, 2010

The Wisdom of Mohandas Gandhi - A Dozen Quotes

In India, Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) is considered the father of his country. Back in the 1940s, he encouraged Indians to use civil disobedience instead of violence to free the country from British rule. Although he didn't invent the concept of nonviolent protest, he was the first to practice it successfully on a large scale. His philosophy and methods have inspired other independence and human rights movements worldwide.

This is someone who walked his talk, one of the great human beings of the 20th century. Much of his quoted wisdom is taken from his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

He had a lot to say about personal strength. Here are some of my favorites...

On CHANGE - “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

On EFFORT - "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory."

On FORGIVENESS - "If we practice and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, soon the whole world will be blind and toothless."

On HUMILITY - "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

On HUMOR - “If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”

On INTEGRITY - "To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest."

On INTUITION - “The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me.”

On SELF-CONFIDENCE - "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."

On SELF-DEVELOPMENT - "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

On SERVICE - “Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large.”

On SPIRITUALITY - “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

On TOLERANCE - "Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding."

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength . (Photo in public domain)

4 comments:

Wayne McEvilly said...

It is always a social good when we are blessed to have a messenger carry the words of Mahatma Gandhi to a larger audience - Thank you -

Steve Borgman said...

Gandhi was an amazing person, who lived in such a way as to bring revolutionary change to a country and to the world. I loved the quotes about being the change we wish to see, and about living each day as if dying tomorrow, and learning as if living forever.

Steve DeVane said...

Uplifting quotes. I especially like the eye for an eye ... blind and toothless one. Very true.

Unknown said...

I am so in love with his gentle wsys

i try...