25 Famous Mahatma Gandhi Quotes of All Time

 

Popularly known as the father of the nation and played a key role in the Indian Independence movement, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is hailed worldwide as one of the most transformative figures in history. He fought for the rights and dignity of people throughout his life in India and South Africa. He used non-violence as a firm tool to win over hearts and minds and showed the world that some wars can be won without wasting even a drop of blood. Due to his immense contribution to the Indian independence movement, he was addressed as “Mahatma,” which stands for “great soul”.

Along with his political career, his life itself is an inspiration for many. His books such as The Story of My Experiments with Truth and Satyagraha in South Africa paved the foundation for transforming millions of lives. Mahatma Gandhi quotes are still being read as they have the power to bring about positive changes in society and the way people live.

Here are the 25 famous Mahatma Gandhi quotes that have inspired millions and continue to transform the world.

1. It’s all about an optimistic thought process

Whatever we do is a reflection of our thought process. Our mind has tremendous potential, therefore you should always think positively.

 “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”

2. Forgiveness is Strength

People around us are bound to make mistakes. Instead of reacting and clinging onto them, one should learn to forgive and move on.

 “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”

3. Action speaks louder than words

You may speak a lot of words, but those words won’t have any meaning until you act accordingly. Thus, replicating the words into actions is important.

“An ounce of practice is worth a thousand words.”

4. Small is Enough

You don’t have to move mountains to bring about a change. Sometimes, even the smallest of actions can induce massive transformations.

 “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

5. Concentrate on the Efforts

Your efforts towards reaching a goal define how long it would take for you to reach there. So don’t think about the end result too soon, focus on your efforts instead.

“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.”

6. Always be ready to Serve

Serving others and making them happy gives a sense of satisfaction to you as well.

 “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

7. Choose your Reactions

Other peoples’ opinions about you don’t matter much as long as you choose to react wisely over them. So instead of getting bogged down by their opinions, you should control your reactions.

 “You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.”

8. Violence is not a Solution

You will always find people going violent over the smallest of issues these days. Gandhi, who always promoted non-violence, believes that violence is not the solution to every problem.

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

9. Enjoy every moment in Life

Tough times come and go, but you are here to stay. You must enjoy every single moment in life and should always be curious to learn new things.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

10. Patience is Power

You must be patient through the thicks and thins of your life. Losing patience in tricky situations can be fatal for you.

 “To lose patience is to lose the battle.”

11. Truth is Inevitable

According to Gandhi, truth does not require a majority. It remains the same regardless of the number of people who believe in it.

“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.”

12. Making Mistakes is Okay

Everyone is bound to do some mistakes regardless of how perfect they are. Thus, making mistakes is absolutely okay while chasing your target.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

13. Identify your Needs

There is a difference between real needs and artificial needs. To be happy, you need to identify the difference between the two.

“Distinguish between real needs and artificial wants and control the latter.”

14. Take the First Step

Every change needs a start. If you intend to make a significant change, you should not wait for someone to start. Instead, you should start it by yourself.

“We need not wait to see what others do.”

15. Serve with Humility

Serving people is good, however, the way you serve should not exhibit arrogance. Service should always be done with modesty.

“Service without humility is selfishness and egotism.”

16. Have Faith in Humanity

You should not lose faith in humanity on the basis of some experiences. Humanity was, is, and will remain immortal.

“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.”

17. Begin the Change with Children

The brain of a person grows immensely during his childhood. So if we have to cultivate moral values in society, we must start from children.

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”

18. Love can Win you Battles

Sword for sword should not always be the way to go about in a battle. Sometimes love can also win hearts and cause the battle to stop.

 “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”

19. Start with Yourself

We always want a lot of changes in society. However, the change should first start with us and then the society,

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

20. Love Yourself

You should always prioritize yourself above anything else because you have to walk through the thicks and thins of life on your own.

“Above all, do not forget your duty to love yourself.”

21. Don’t take Wisdom for Granted

Situations change, so do people. Hence, don’t ever take one’s wisdom or lack of knowledge for granted.

 “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.”

22. Conviction is the Key

Things are done best when they are done with conviction. Things done without full efforts don’t turn out to be the best.

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than  ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

23. Live Life Today

Past impressions and future ambitions viz. the things that are not in our control are ruining our present. If you want to be happy in the future, start to think only about the present moment.

“There are two days in the year that we cannot do anything–yesterday and tomorrow.

24. Strive to be the Best

You should always analyze yourself and look to improve upon things you’re not good at. The continuous effort to be the best will only lead one towards the utmost perfection.

“Infinite striving to be the best is man’s duty; It is its own reward. Everything else is in God’s hands.”

25. Prefer Silence over Unnecessary Words

Many times, unnecessary words are the cause of confusion and disputes between people. Thus, always prefer to be silent as long as possible.

“Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”