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A Dissolute Character Is More Dissolute In Thought Than In Deed. And The Same Is True Of Violence. Our Violence In Word And Deed Is But A Feeble Echo Of The Surging Violence Of Thought In Us.

-Mahatma Gandhi

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A Dissolute Character Is

Mahatma Gandhi

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A Dissolute Character Is More Dissolute In Thought Than In Deed. And The Same Is True Of Violence. Our Violence In Word And Deed Is But A Feeble Echo Of The Surging Violence Of Thought In Us.

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In A Society Based On Nonviolence, The Smallest Nation Will Feel As Tall As The Tallest.

The Dignity Of Man Requires Obedience To A Higher Law, To The Strength Of The Spirit.

If You Do Nothing There Will Be No Results

It Is Good To See Ourselves As Others See Us. Try As We May, We Are Never Able To Know Ourselves Fully As We Are, Especially The Evil Side Of Us. This We Can Do Only If We Are Not Angry With Our Critics But Will Take In Good Heart Whatever They Might Have To Say.

My Plea Is For Banishing The English Language As A Cultural Usurper, As We Successfully Banished The Political Rule Of The English Usurper.

Perfection Is Only An Ideal For Man; It Cannot Be Attained, For Man Is Made Imperfect.

I Would Rather Have India Without Education, If That Is The Price To Be Paid For Making It Dry.

An Education Which Does Not Teach Us To Discriminate Between Good And Bad, To Assimilate The One And Eschew The Other, Is A Misnomer

The Ideally Non-violent State Will Be An Ordered Anarchy.

God Rules Even Where Satan Seems To Hold Sway, Because The Latter Exists Only On God's Sufferance.

Out Of The Performance Of Duties Flow Rights, And Those That Knew And Performed Their Duties Came Naturally By Their Rights.

Seek Not Greater Wealth, But Simpler Pleasure; Not Higher Fortune, But Deeper Felicity.

Freedom Of The Press Is A Precious Privilege That No Country Can Forego.

Prayer Is Not An Old Woman's Idle Amusement. Properly Understood And Applied, It Is The Most Potent Instrument Of Action.

I Isolate This Non-co-operation From Sinn Feinism, For It Is So Conceived As To Be Incapable Of Being Offered Side By Side With Violence.

An Opponent Is Entitled To The Same Regard For His Principles As We Would Expect Others To Have For Ours. Non-violence Demands That We Should See Every Opportunity To Win Over Opponents.

The Use Of Soul-force For Turning Stones Into Bread Would Have Been Considered, As It Is Still Considered, As Black Magic.

Sickness Is The Result Not Only Of Our Acts, But Out Thoughts Also.

I Have An Implicit Faith ... That Mankind Can Only Be Saved Through Non-violence, Which Is The Central Teaching Of The Bible, As I Have Understood The Bible.

The Swaraj Of My Dream Is The Poor Man's Swaraj.

They Might Kill Me But They Cannot Kill Gandhism. If Truth Can Be Killed, Gandhism Can Be Killed.

Our Nonviolence Vis-а-vis The British Government Has Been The Nonviolence Of The Weak.

Peace Is Its Own Reward.

In Swaraj, Based On Ahimsa, People Need Not Know Their Rights, But It Is Also Necessary For Them To Know Their Duties.

If Untouchability Lives, Humanity Must Die.

If You Want Real Peace In The World, Start With Children.

A Coward Is Less Than A Man. He Does Not Deserve To Be A Member Of A Society Of Men And Women

To A Hungry Man, A Piece Of Bread Is The Face Of God.

Civilization Is The Encouragement Of Differences.

I Have Shut My Mind Against Nothing And I Am A Friend Of Great Britain. I Always Have Been. I Have No Axe To Grind.

Ahimsa Is The Height Of Kshatriya Dharma As It Represents The Climax Of Fearlessness.

I Am A Hindu By Birth. And Yet I Do Not Know Much Of Hinduism, And I Know Less Of Other Religions. In Fact I Do Not Know Where I Am, And What Is And What Should Be My Belief. I Intend To Make A Careful Study Of My Own Religion And, As Far As I Can, Of Others.

The Fragrance Of Religious And Spiritual Life Is Much Finer And Subtler Than That Of The Rose.

In Satyagraha, A Courted Imprisonment Carries Its Own Praise.

There Is No Such Thing As Slow Freedom. Freedom Is Like A Birth. Till We Are Fully Free We Are Slaves. All Birth Takes Place In A Moment.

Labour Is Priceless, Not Gold.

Only Living Things Bring Living Joy To The Soul And Must Elevate It.

Peace Is Unattained By Part Performance Of Conditions, Even As A Chemical Combination Is Impossible Without Complete Fulfillment Of The Conditions Of Attainment Thereof.

I Desire No Honour If I Have To Conceal My Religious Beliefs In Order To Have It.

If It Is By Force That We Wish To Achieve Swaraj, Let Us Drop Nonviolence And Offer Such Violence As We May.

I Claim That In Losing The Spinning Wheel We Lost Our Left Lung.

However Virile The English Language May Be, It Can Never Become The Language Of The Masses Of India.

We May Attack Systems. We Must Not Attack Men.

There Is No Greater Spellbinder Of Peace Than The Name Of God.

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.

He Who Runs To The Doctor, Vaidya, Or Hakim For Every Little Ailment, And Swallows All Kinds Of Vegetable And Mineral Drugs, Not Only Curtails His Life, But By Becoming The Slave Of His Body Instead Of Remaining Its Master, Loses Self-control, And Ceases To Be A Man.

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Of All The Myriads Of God, Daridranarayana Is The Most Sacred Inasmuch As It Represents The Untold Millions Of The Poor People As Distinguished From The Few Rich People.

I Hold That Without Truth And Nonviolence There Can Be Nothing But Destruction Of Humanity.

The Sacrifice Which Causes Sorrow To The Doer Of The Sacrifice Is No Sacrifice. Real Sacrifice Lightens The Mind Of The Doer And Gives Him A Sense Of Peace And Joy. The Buddha Gave Up The Pleasures Of Life Because They Had Become Painful To Him.

The Allah Of Islam Is The Same As The God Of Christians And The Ishwar Of Hindus.

The State Is The Sum Total Of The Sacrifice, On Its Behalf, Of Its Members.

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Unlike The Animal, God Has Given Man The Faculty Of Reason.

We Don't Use Guns Because We Don't Have Guns

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Anger Is The Enemy Of Non-violence And Pride Is A Monster That Swallows It Up.

To Kill These (rabid) Dogs, In My Opinion, Amount To Himsa, But I Believe It To Be Inevitable If We Are To Escape Much Greater Himsa.

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Renunciation Is The Central Sun, Round Which Devotion, Knowledge And The Rest Revolve Like Planets.

Naked Violence Repels Like The Naked Skeleton Shorn Of Flesh, Blood And The Velvety Skin.

Nonviolence Is A Plant Of Slow Growth, It Grows Imperceptibly But Surely.

In Order That Knowledge May Not Run Riot, The Author Of The Gita Has Insisted On Devotion Accompanying It And Has Given It The First Place.

3 Is Prime, 5 Is Prime, 7 Is Prime, But 9 Is Not Prime; -in This Incarnation.

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In The Midst Of Death Life Persists.

Darkness To Light

I May Fight The British Ruler, But I Do Not Hate The English Or Their Language. In Fact, I Appreciate Their Literary Treasures.

Satyagraha Is A Relentless Search For Truth And A Determination To Search Truth.

The Enlightened One Has Told You In Never-to-be-forgotten Words That This Little Span Of Life Is But A Passing Shadow, A Fleeting Thing.

We Have To Be The Change We Want In The World.

I Do Believe That, Where There Is Only A Choice Between Cowardice And Violence, I Would Advise Violence. I Would Rather Have India Resort To Arms In Order To Defend Her Honour Than That She Should, In A Cowardly Manner, Become Or Remain A Helpless Witness To Her Own Dishonour. But I Believe That Nonviolence Is Infinitely Superior To Violence, Forgiveness Is More Manly Than Punishment.

Human Language Can But Imperfectly Describe God's Ways. I Am Sensible Of The Fact That They Are Indescribable And Inscrutable. But If Mortal Man Will Dare To Describe Them, He Has No Better Medium Than His Own Inarticulate Speech.

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I Cannot Give Active Support In The War Effort Without Denying A Life-time Of Practice.

A Balanced Intellect Presupposes A Harmonious Growth Of Body, Mind And Soul.

Khaddar Has The Greatest Organizing Power In It Because It Has Itself To Be Organized And Because It Affects All India.

Woman, I Hold, Is The Personification Of Self-sacrifice, But Unfortunately Today She Does Not Realize What A Tremendous Advantage She Has Over Man. As Tolstoy Used To Say, They Are Laboring Under The Hypnotic Influence Of Man. If They Would Realize The Strength Of Non-violence They Would Not Consent To Be Called The Weaker Sex.

I Am Not Conscious Of A Single Experience Throughout My Three Months' Stay In England And Europe That Made Me Feel That After All East Is East And West Is West. On The Contrary, I Have Been Convinced More Than Ever That Human Nature Is Much The Same, No Matter Under What Clime It Flourishes, And That If You Approached People With Trust And Affection You Would Have Ten-fold Trust And Thousand-fold Affection Returned To You.

I Have Discovered That Man Is Superior To The System He Propounds.

No People Have Risen Who Thought Only Of Rights. Only Those Did So Who Thought Of Duties.

Well, India Is A Country Of Nonsense

Lovers Of Swaraj Cannot Rest Till A Solution Is Found Which Would Allay Mussalman Apprehensions And Yet Not Endanger Swaraj.

Faith Is A Function Of The Heart.

Khaddar Brings A Ray Of Hope To The Widow's Broken-up Home.

In Fact, It Is More Correct To Say That Truth Is God, Than To Say That God Is Truth.

Nonviolence, When It Becomes Active, Travels With Extraordinary Velocity, And Then It Becomes A Miracle.

No Society Can Possibly Be Built On A Denial Of Individual Freedom.

Without Real Nonviolence, There Would Be Perfect Anarchy.

If The People Resolve And Carry Out This Programme Of Boycott And Swadeshi, They Would Not Have To Wait For Swaraj Even For A Year.

Wildlife Is Decreasing In The Jungles, But It Is Increasing In The Towns.

You Cannot Neglect The Nearer Duty For The Sake Of A Remote.

Buddha Renounced Every Worldly Happiness Because He Wanted To Share With The Whole World His Happiness Which Was To Be Had By Men Who Sacrificed And Suffered In The Search For Truth.

Civilizations Have Come And Gone And, In Spite Of Our Vaunted Progress, I Am Tempted To Ask Again And Again, 'to What Purpose?'

I Abhor Vivisection With My Whole Soul. All The Scientific Discoveries Stained With Innocent Blood I Count As Of No Consequence.

Every Affliction Has Its Own Rich Lesson To Teach, If We Would Learn It.

Nonviolent Nationalism Is A Necessary Condition Of Corporate Or Civilized Life.

It Would Be A Blunder Of The First Magnitude For The British To Be A Party, In Any Way Whatsoever, To The Division Of India.

When The Panchayat Raj Is Established, Public Opinion Will Do What Violence Can Never Do.

Nonviolence Abhors Fear And Therefore, Secrecy.

With Every True Friendship We Build More Firmly The Foundations On Which The Peace Of The Whole World Rests. Thought By Thought And Act By Act, With Every Breath We Build More Firmly The Kingdom Of Non-violence That Is The True Home Of The Spirit Of Humanity.

The Life Of Millions Is My Politics, From Which I Dare Not Free Myself Without Denying My Life-work And God.

For India To Enter Into The Race For Armaments Is To Court Suicide.

Earth And Heaven Are In Us

It Is Possible To Reason Out The Existence Of God To A Limited Extent.

A Fast To Be True Must Be Accompanied By A Readiness To Receive Pure Thoughts And Determination To Resist All Satan's Temptations.

Non-violence Should Never Be Used As A Shield For Cowardice. It Is A Weapon For The Brave.

Untouchability Is A Blot On Hinduism. It Is A Canker Eating Into Its Vitals.

Be The Change You Seek.

In Placing Civil Disobedience Before Constructive Work I Was Wrong And I Did Not Profit By The Himalayan Blunder That I Had Committed.

Every Living Faith Must Have Within Itself The Power Of Rejuvenation If It Is To Live

The Richest Grace Of Ahimsa Will Descend Easily Upon The Owner Of Hard Discipline.

Bravery Is Not Man's Monopoly.

It Will Be Necessary For Us Indians - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Parsis And All Others To Whom India Is Their Home - To Recognize A Common Flag To Live And Die For.

It Was Manly And Dignified To Rely Upon God For The Dissolution Of All Troubles. He Was The Only Infallible Help, Guide And Friend.

God Turns His Back On Those Who Quarrel Among Themselves.

Khaddar Is An Activity That Can Absorb All The Time Of All Available Men And Women And Grown-up Children, If They Have Faith.

As A Rule, The Mind, Residing In A Body That Has Become Weakened By Pampering, Is Also Weak, And Where There Is No Strength Of Mind There Can Be No Strength Of Soul.

In True Democracy Every Man And Woman Is Taught To Think For Himself Or Herself.

A Non-violent Revolution Is Not A Program Of Seizure Of Power. It Is A Program Of Transformation Of Relationships, Ending In A Peaceful Transfer Of Power.

If You Want To Change The World, Start With Yourself.

Celebration Of Life

Non-cooperatio N With Evil Is A Sacred Duty.

Christianity In India Is Inextricably Mixed Up For The Last Hundred And Fifty Years With The British Rule.

Just Think Out For Yourselves, If A Man Who Was Good Yesterday Has Become Bad After Having Come In Contact With Me, Is He Responsible That He Has Deteriorated Or Am I? ... It Is Well To Take The Blame Sometimes.

You Can't Shake Hands With A Closed Fist.

The Devotee Of Truth Is Often Obliged To Grope In The Dark.

It Is Poor Faith That Needs Fair Weather For Standing Firm. That Alone Is True Faith That Stands The Foulest Weather.

No Two Leaves Were Alike, And Yet There Is No Antagonism Between Them Or Between The Branches On Which They Grow.

Love Is The Law Of Life.

Diversity There Certainly Is In The World, But It Means Neither Inequality Nor Untouchability.

True Paurusha, True Bravery, Consists In Driving Out The Brute In Us.

The Path Of Truth Is As Narrow As It Is Straight. Even So Is That Of Ahimsa.

Peace Between Countries Must Rest On The Solid Foundation Of Love Between Individuals.

Indian Nationalism Is Not Exclusive, Nor Aggressive, Nor Destructive.

The Enemy Is Fear. We Think It Is Hate; But, It Is Fear.

A Satyagrahi Has No Other Stay But God, And He Who Has Any Other Stay Or Depends On Any Other Help Cannot Offer Satyagraha.

Like The Bee Gathering Honey From The Different Flowers, The Wise Person Accepts The Essence Of The Different Scriptures And Sees Only The Good In All Religions.

I Call Myself A Labourer Because I Take Pride In Calling Myself A Spinner, Weaver, Farmer And Scavenger.

If That Is The Law Of Life We Must Work It Out In Daily Exisitance. Wherever There Are Wars, Wherever We Are Confronted With An Opponent, Conquer By Love. I Have Found That The Certain Law Of Love Has Answered In My Own Life As The Law Of Destruction Has Never Done.

I Am A Christian And A Hindu And A Muslim And A Jew.

There Can Be In The Eyes Of God No Distinction Between Man And Man, Even As There Is No Distinction Between Animal And Animal.

We Are Aware That The Business Of Swaraj Will Thrive Only If The Boycott Of Foreign Cloth Is Successful.

I Have Known Many Meat Eaters To Be Far More Nonviolent Than Vegetarians.

Nonviolence Requires More Courage Than The Soldier Of War.

There Is Every Reason For Being Cautious About Founding New Universities Till India Has Digested Her Newly Acquired Freedom.

Man Cannot Breathe With Borrowed Lungs.

A Clear Victory Of Satyagraha Is Impossible So Long As There Is Ill Will.

It Is Better To Be Charged With Cowardice And Weakness Than To Be Guilty Of Denial Of Our Oath And Sin Against God.

True Ahimsa Should Mean A Complete Freedom From Ill-will And Anger And Hate And An Overflowing Love For All.

Truth Is My God. I Can Only Search Him Through Nonviolence And In On Other Way.

Man Should Earnestly Desire The Well - Being Of All God's Creations And Pray That We May Have The Strength To Do So.

The Greatness Of Humanity Is Not In Being Human, But In Being Humane.

The Singular Secret Of Khaddar Lies In Its Saleability In The Place Of Its Production And Use By The Manufacturers Themselves.

God Can Never Be Realized By One Who Is Not Pure Of Heart.

I Do Not Seek Redemption From The Consequences Of My Sin. I Seek To Be Redeemed From Sin Itself. Until I Have Attained That End, I Shall Be Content To Be Restless.

Was It That You Wanted To Pull My Leg By Transporting Me To The Frozen Himalayan Heights Of 'mahatmaship' And Claiming For Yourself Absolution From Having To Follow My Precepts?

A Courageous Man Prefers Death To The Surrender Of Self-respect.

If I Had No Sense Of Humor I Should Long Ago Have Committed Suicide.

The State Represents Violence In A Concentrated And Organize Form.

It Is Easier To Bridge The Oceans That Lie Between Continents Than It Is To Bridge The Gap Between Individuals Or The Peoples.

Fasting And Prayer Are Common Injunctions In My Religion.

Sympathy Is What You Have For Someone After They Die, Pity You Have For Someone When They Don't Have A Date To The Biggest Dance Of The Year. Empathy Is What I Do To You When You Judge Me. Envy Is Having Pity On Yourself. Can You Discern The Rest For Yourself?

The Charkha Is The Symbol Of Sacrifice, And Sacrifice Is Essential For The Establishment Of The Image Of The Deity.

Hunger Is The Argument That Is Driving India To The Spinning Wheel.

The Only Tyrant I Accept In This World Is The Still Voice Within.

If A Man Voluntarily Allows Himself To Be Crushed, He Yields The Oil Of Moral Energy Which Sustains The World.

And Whilst He May Not Claim Superiority By Reason Of Learning, I Myself Must Not Withold That Meed Of Homage That Learning, Wherever It Resides, Always Commands.

A Person Unbound By Vows Can Never Be Absolutely Relied Upon.

Hindus, If They Want Unity Among Different Races, Must Have The Courage To Trust The Minorities.

The Weak Can Never Forgive.

One Of The Objects Of A Newspaper Is To Understand Popular Feeling And To Give Expression To It; Another Is To Arouse Among The People Certain Desirable Sentiments; And The Third Is Fearlessly To Expose Popular Defects.

Employers Ganging Up Against Workers Is Like Raising An Army Of Elephants Against Ants.

It Was Not Through Democratic Methods That Britain Bagged India.

It Is The Best Thing To Blame Ourselves When People Cannot Get On Well With Us. Boundless Charity Necessarily Includes All Or It Ceases To Be Boundless. We Must Be Strict With Ourselves And Lenient With Our Neighbors. For We Know Not Their Difficulties And What They Overcome.

The Stability Of The State Depends Upon The Readiness Of Every Citizen To Subordinate His Rights To Those Of The Rest.

My Heart Is Drawn Backwards And Forwards Between The Spinning Wheel And Books.

Every Person In A Well-ordered State Is Fully Conscious Of Both His Responsibilities And His Rights.

My Purpose Is To Describe Experiments In The Science Ofsatyagraha And Not At All To Describe How Good I Am.

Love Is The Subtlest Force In The World.

God Has No Religion.

The Quest Of Truth Involves Tapas-self-suffering-sometimes Even Unto Death.

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