84 Gandhi’s quotes to understand his philosophy of life

The pacifist leader Gandhi left us an endless number of famous quotes that are worth remembering.

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most important historical personalities of the 20th century and one of the most valued Indian thinkers of modernity.

His thought, his pacifist philosophy and his religiosity were expressed in his numerous books and reflective writings, but in order to become familiar with his way of thinking, it is important to remember that he was one of the most important historical figures of the 20th century.But to become familiar with his way of thinking it is also very useful to turn to his famous quotes and phrases for the memory.

• Recommended article: "The 70 best famous quotes of Martin Luther King".

Gandhi's phrases to understand his vision of the world

We are facing a pacifist myth and an icon of Eastern and Western culture. Below you can find a list you can find a list with many of the most important Gandhi's phrases..

1. Action expresses the different priorities.

Gandhi believed that one's philosophy is expressed through one's actions and that it is at times when personal values clash that the choice of one over the other defines us.

2. Man is the product of his thoughts.

This and several other Gandhian phrases refer to one of the characteristics of his way of thinking: the importance of focusing on the mental sphere, and not so much on the analysis of the context and the environment in which one lives.

3. The weak can never forgive.

Gandhi believed that the easiest option is the one that has to do with anger and revenge.

4. Violence is the fear of the ideals of the other.

This is one of Mahatma Gandhi's phrases in which a very simple idea is expressed: fear of what other people believe is a symptom of the weakness of one's own way of thinking.

5. My life is the message.

Once again, it is clear that this Indian thinker did not distinguish between theory and action.

6. Non-violence and truth are inseparable.

According to Gandhi, firmness in what one believes in can never be expressed violently.

7. An eye for an eye and the whole world will be blind.

An analysis of the consequences of war and the spirals of violence.

8. Anger and intolerance are enemies of knowledge.

For Gandhi, wisdom is born from dialogue.

9. An ounce of action is worth more than tons of preaching.

Another of Gandhi's phrases emphasizing the need not to separate ideals from the way of life.

10. Be the change you would like to see in the world.

For this thinker, progress is based on small individual and daily decisions.

11. No one can hurt me without my permission.

Mental fortitude was a property much claimed by Gandhi.

12. Truth never harms a cause that is just.

The soundness of ideas translates into their soundness, also, in the face of evidence.

13. Those who know how to think do not need teachers.

Gandhi shows in this quotation that thought is based on the autonomy of each one.

14. The future depends on what you do today.

The small details of everyday life are, according to Mahatma Gandhi's thought, what will shape the future.

15. Fear has its use, but cowardice does not.

This quote from Gandhi expresses the idea that the important thing is to focus on objectives related to good and truth.

16. Poverty is the worst form of violence.

For Gandhi, poverty is also a form of oppression by the powerful (even if it is disguised as a possibility to choose one's own destiny and theoretically it seems easy to get out of precariousness), because it does not give options to make decisions and improve one's own quality of life.

17. No culture can live if it tries to be exclusive.

This quote reflects the high value Gandhi placed on dialogue and mutual understanding between various types of societies.

18. When faith becomes blind, it dies.

Gandhi was a religious person, but he believed that faith must go hand in hand with reason and the questioning of dogmas.

19. The good human being is a friend of all that lives.

Gandhi was expressing an idea that is widespread in many non-Western cultures: human beings are not the only forms of life to be respected.

20. Truth remains even if it has no public support.

In this phrase, Gandhi refers to the self-sufficiency of truth as something that does not depend on the opinions of human beings.

 

Other Gandhian quotes on politics, friendship and peace

We continue with other famous quotes of the Indian leader.

21. Where there is love there is also life.

Love is the main source of good vibrations.

22. The essence of all religions is the same, only their approaches change.

A position that shows his dissatisfaction with the dogmas and function of some religions.

23. Faith is not something you hold on to, but something you live by.

His heterodox religiosity is fantastically reflected in this opinion.

24. Disagreement is often a sign of progress.

Democracy implies disagreement, and disagreement gives rise to better and renewed ideas and ways of acting.

25. God has no religion.

A phrase to think and reflect on. Perhaps God is above certain symbols and creeds, right?

26. Even if he is in the minority, the truth is the truth.

Truth has only one way, reality is objective and palpable. A lie a thousand times repeated will never become the truth.

27. The glory is in aspiring to a goal and not finishing to reach it.

The important part is in the path, not in the goal.

28. Happiness appears when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

An antidote against hypocrisy and sadness: act as we feel.

29. Hate the sin, love the sinner.

A way of showing that peace must prevail, in spite of everything.

30. To believe in something and not live it is fundamentally dishonest.

Gandhi championed the need to pursue one's own destiny in life.

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Against materialism and the desire to accumulate possessions and wealth.

32. Death is but a dream and a forgetfulness.

Sentence to free interpretation.

33. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

A Gandhian classic. Carpe diem, do what you must do, otherwise you will regret it.

34. You cannot shake hands with fists.

Another famous quote about peace and how to reach consensus with other people or groups.

35. Behavior is the mirror that shows our image.

One's behavior is what best defines one's personality and essence.

36. Every home is a university and parents are the teachers.

Education, that great forgotten one.

37. Loneliness is a catalyst for creativity.

When one is alone, it is easier to look for ways to escape from reality and create new ideas and artifacts in one's own world.

38. Selfishness is blind.

Selfishness does not see far, it only takes the easy road, which sometimes may not lead to a good destination.

39. There is no greater god than truth.

Another phrase about truth and the need for human beings to be honest.

40. Love is the most powerful force that exists.

Love moves mountains.

41. For a non-violent person, everyone is his family.

For the pacifist, the idea of a community with which bonds of affection are established has no borders.

42. Western civilization? Well, it would be an excellent idea

One of Gandhi's phrases in which his criticism of the inconsistency of Western values is expressed.

43. The cause of freedom becomes a mockery if the price to be paid is the destruction of those who should enjoy freedom.

Freedom is understood by Gandhi as an absolute, not something relative.

44. The most appalling of the bad things of bad people is the silence of good people.

Inaction can become an instrument of oppression.

45. A minute that passes is irretrievable. Knowing this, how can we waste so many hours?

A reflection on the way in which we use our time.

46. The sadness of separation and death is the greatest deception of all.

Gandhi laughed at life beyond death and considered that not to do so was to fall into an intellectual trap.

47. Victory achieved by violence is equivalent to defeat, because it is momentary.

For this referent of pacifism, means and ends are inseparable.

48. Impure means lead to impure ends.

In line with other Gandhian phrases, this one emphasizes the need to use strategies that are coherent with what one aspires to.

49. My best weapon is silent prayer.

In spiritual retreat and introspection there may be a tool for social progress.

50. Gold shackles are much worse than iron shackles.

Oppression disguised as freedom is perverse.

51. Rivers of Blood will flow before we conquer our freedom, but that blood must be our own.

Another of the most inspiring phrases about pacifism.

52. We win justice more quickly if we do justice to the opposite party.

Gandhi points out that what we want for ourselves we must apply to others.

53. To change the world, start by changing yourself.

Collective and social change begins with oneself.

54. Man does not have the power to create life. Therefore, neither does he have the right to destroy it.

A way to justify pacifism through reason.

55. A coward is not capable of showing love; to do so is reserved only for the brave.

To express affection is an act of courage.

56. When all abandon you, God stays with you.

Gandhi finds in the figure of God a spiritual refuge.

57. Do not let the sun die before your grudges have died.

One of Gandhi's phrases about hatred and its limiting nature.

58. I am a practical dreamer and I want to turn my dreams into reality.

Gandhi was not content to fantasize about a better world, he wanted to create it.

59. We must not lose faith in humanity, for it is like the ocean: it does not become dirty because some of its drops are corrupted.

A reflection on the potential of humanity to do good.

60. Birth and death are not two different states, but two aspects of the same state.

Gandhi saw life as a road that can be traveled in two directions.

61. He who withholds something he does not need is equal to a thief.

A reflection on the need to share.

62. I am humble, but at the same time an enthusiastic seeker of truth.

A phrase of Gandhi's that reflects his philosophy of life.

63. Religion is a matter of the heart; no physical evil can keep me from it.

This pacifist was a great advocate of the idea that religions have a common root.

64. Each one prays to his god from his own light.

In line with the previous reflection, Gandhi points out that even in private beliefs there is something in common.

65. I am prepared to die, but there is no reason why I should be prepared to kill.

Death is a part of life, but murder is not.

66. The best way to find oneself is to lose oneself in helping others.

A reflection on how social relationships based on love serve to build one's own identity.

67. Prayer is the key of the morning and the lock of the evening.

One of Gandhi's most poetic phrases, about his way of understanding prayer.

68. Morality is the foundation of things and truth is the substance of all morality.

In this reflection a direct relation is established between morality and what is true.

69. If I had no sense of humor, I would have committed suicide long ago.

A surprising statement about one's own life and, at the same time, a way to emphasize the importance of a sense of humor.

70. Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in what is obtained.

Gandhi reflects on the nature of contentment.

71. Self-respect knows no considerations

Maintaining dignity is an unquestionable principle, according to the philosophy of this thinker.

72. In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

Another of Gandhi's phrases about prayer understood as something in which one must express one's feelings.

Jesus is pure and perfect, but you Christians are not like him.

A scathing observation about the Christian community.

74. The culture of a nation resides in the heart and soul of its people.

This leader of pacifism understood culture as something living and dynamic present in the great masses and not in palaces or museums.

75. Peace is its own reward

Peaceful initiatives are valuable in themselves.

76. The search for truth does not admit violence against the adversary.

Another phrase that could be taken as a motto of pacifism.

77. All religions, though differing in some respects, unanimously point out that nothing lives in this world beyond Truth.

Another sample of Gandhi's ideology regarding the universality of religions.

78. Morality is contraband in warfare

A criticism of the cynicism with which morality is appealed to in wars.

79. I have worshipped woman as the embodiment of sacrifice and the spirit of service.

Gandhi is referring here to the gender roles traditionally associated with women.

80. Everyone can hear the inner voice; it is within everyone.

A way of pointing out the importance of introspection.

81. There is enough in the world for man's needs, but not for his greed.

If we would all limit ourselves to consuming what we need, there would be no poverty and no hunger.

82. Palestine belongs to the Arabs, as England belongs to the English or France belongs to the French.

A clear position regarding the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

83. Prayer is the key to tomorrow and the lightning of the night.

A well-known phrase in which he expresses his religious convictions.

84. I wish to change their minds, not kill them for the same weaknesses we all possess.

Emphasizing the power of words and arguments.