Mahatma Gandhi

Indian independence leader, nonviolence

Modern influential 85 sayings

Sayings by Mahatma Gandhi

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

1922 — Young India
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A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.

N/A — From his writings and speeches, a common philosophical point.
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There is no path to peace, peace is the path.

N/A — Attributed, a popular summary of his philosophy.
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One day, I found that my clothes were full of bugs. I was horrified. I thought: 'I have to get rid of these bugs.' But then I thought: 'No, I cannot kill them. They are living beings.' So I took them off very carefully, one by one, and put them in a bottle.

c. 1890s — Recounted in his autobiography, illustrating his commitment to ahimsa.
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I have been a barrister, a journalist, a nurse, a stretcher-bearer, a scavenger, and what not.

c. 1930s — Reflecting on his varied life experiences, often in speeches.
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I wear the minimum of clothes. If I had to wear more clothes, I would feel I was being false to my mission.

1931 — Interview with the press in London
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I am a communist and also a socialist. I am a democrat and also a totalitarian. I believe in non-violence and I also believe in violence if it is for a good cause.

N/A — This is a commonly misattributed quote. Gandhi was not a communist or totalitarian and abhorred viol…
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I am against all forms of exploitation.

c. 1920s-1930s — From his writings on economics and social justice.
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My nationalism is intense internationalism.

1925 — Young India
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The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.

N/A — Attributed, a popular summary of his environmental and economic philosophy.
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I claim to be a practical idealist.

1921 — Young India
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I believe in the perfectibility of human nature.

N/A — From his philosophical writings and speeches.
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My experiments in the political field are now a matter of history.

1925-1929 — Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth
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I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills.

1946 — Speech in Madras
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It is not the British I hate, it is the British system I hate.

c. 1920s-1940s — From his writings during the independence movement.
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The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.

N/A — Attributed, a popular summary of his philosophy.
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I cannot conceive of a greater wrong than to keep women from going to school.

1929 — Young India
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To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.

N/A — From his writings and philosophical discussions.
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God is not a person. God is a force. The world is nothing but a manifestation of that force.

N/A — From his philosophical discussions and writings on religion.
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You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.

N/A — Attributed, a powerful statement reflecting his belief in spiritual freedom.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable