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There Are Only Moments Of Happiness - From Contentment To Ecstacy.
-Indira Gandhi
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There Are Only Moments

Indira Gandhi
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There Are Only Moments Of Happiness - From Contentment To Ecstacy.

Understanding the Quote: "there are only moments of happiness - from contentment to ecstacy...."

This quote by Indira Gandhi reflects deeply on the theme of contentment. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Contentment, Moments, Moments Of Happiness, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Indira Gandhi interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi is celebrated for insightful thoughts on contentment and moments. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Contentment
Moments
Moments Of Happiness
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I Think One Should Do What Seems Right. And If What Seems Right Involves Danger...well, One Must Risk The Danger.
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I Said That My Father Was Not A Politician. I, Instead, Think I Am. But Not In The Sense Of Being Interested In A Political Career - Rather In The Sense That I Think It Necessary To Strive To Build A Certain India, The India I Want.
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I Went Back Into Politics Only When It Was Clear That Things Weren't Going As They Should Have In My Party. I Was Always Arguing, I Argued With Everyone - With My Father, With The Leaders I Had Known Since I Was A Child...and One Day, It Was In 1955, One Of Them Exclaimed, 'you Do Nothing But Criticize! If You Think You Can Correct Things, Correct Them. Go Ahead, Why Don't You Try?' Well, I Could Never Resist A Challenge, So I Tried.
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It's True That I Refused Foreign Aid. It's True. It Wasn't My Personal Decision, However - It Was The Whole Country That Said No.
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Be Proud
Indian
If We Offer Something To Bangladesh, It's Obvious That Bangladesh Is Offering Something To Us. And Why Shouldn't Bangladesh Be Able To Keep Its Promises? Economically It's Full Of Resources And Can Stand On Its Feet. Politically It Seems To Me Led By Trained People. The Refugees Who Took Shelter Here Are Going Home.
Home
Feet
Offering
It's Not Right To Say That My Father Influenced Me More Than Others, And I Wouldn't Be Able To Say Whether My Personality Was Formed More By My Father Or My Mother Or The Mahatma [gandhi] Or The Friends Who Were With Us.
Mother
Father
Personality
I Was A Welfare Worker For The Indian Council For Child Welfare. I'll Tell You A Story. Rajiv Was Only Four Years Old At That Time, And Was Going To Kindergarten. One Day The Mother Of One Of His Little Friends Came To See Us And Said In A Sugary Voice, 'oh, It Must Be So Sad For You To Have No Time To Spend With Your Little Boy!' Rajiv Roared Like A Lion: 'my Mother Spends More Time With Me Than You Spend With Your Little Boy, See! Your Little Boy Says You Always Leave Him Alone So You Can Play Bridge!' I Detest Women Who Do Nothing And They Play Bridge.
Mother
Children
Boys
The Greatest Of All Contraceptives Is Affluence.
Birth Control
Affluence
Birth
However, The Treaty Exists And It Puts Us In A Different Position Toward The Soviet Union Than The One We Have Toward Other Countries. Yes, The Treaty Exists. Nor Does It Exist On Only One Side. Look How W3e're Situated Geographically And You'll See That India Is Very Important For The Soviet Union.
Country
Important
India
Have You Ever Climbed A Mountain? You See, Once You Arrive At The Top Of A Mountain, You Think You've Reached The Highest Point. But It's Only An Impression That Doesn't Last Long.
Thinking
Long
Mountain
The India I Want, I'll Never Tire Of Repeating, Is A More Just And Less Poor India, One Entirely Free Of Foreign Influences. If I Thought The Country Was Already Marching Toward These Objectives, I'd Give Up Politics Immediately And Retire As Prime Minister.
Country
Giving Up
Want
India Had Barely Become Independent, In 1947, When Pakistan Invaded Kashmir, Which At The Time Was Ruled By A Maharajah. The Maharajah Fled, And The People Of Kashmir, Led By Sheikh Abdullah, Asked For Indian Help. Lord [louis] Mountbatten, Who Was Still Governor General, Replied That He Wouldn't Be Able To Supply Aid To Kashmir Unless Pakistan Declared War, And He Didn't Seem Bothered By The Fact That The Pakistanis Were Slaughtering The Population.
War
Independent
People
When You Govern A Country, And Especially A Country So Vast And Complex As India, You Never Arrive At Anything.
Country
India
Complexes
I Don't At All Care Who's On The Right Or Left Or In The Center. Even Though We Use Them, Even Though I Use Them Myself, These Expressions Have Lost All Meaning.
Expression
Use
Care
In The Western World, Women Have No Other Choice. In India, No. And I'll Explain The Reason. It's A Reason That Also Has To Do With My Own Case. In India Women Have Never Been A Hostile Competition With Men - Even In The Most Distant Past, Every Time A Woman Emerged As A Leader, Perhaps As A Queen, The People Accepted Her. As Something Normal And Not Exceptional.
Queens
Past
Men
Do You Know That, Until Recently, Poor People Brought Children Into The World For The Sole Purpose Of Making Use Of Them? But How Can You Change, By Force Or All Of A Sudden, An Age-old Habit? The Only Way Is To Plan Births, By One Means Or Another.
Children
Mean
Old Habits
I Don't See The World As Something Divided Between Right And Left.
World
Divided
Left
One Day In 1965 Rajiv Wrote Me From London, Where He Was Studying, And Informed Me, 'you're Always Asking Me About Girls, Whether I Have A Special Girl, And So Forth. Well, I've Met A Special Girl.' And When Rajiv Returned To India, I Asked Him, 'do You Still Think About Her In The Same Way?' And He Said Yes. But She Couldn't Get Married Until She Was Twenty-one, And Until She Was Sure She'd Like To Live In India. Sonia Is Almost Completely An Indian By Now, Even Though She Doesn't Always Wear Saris.
Girl
Thinking
One Day
My Theory Is That Men Are No More Liberated Than Women.
Men
Theory
Liberated
Mankind Will Endure When The World Appreciates The Logic Of Diversity.
Appreciate
Justice
Diversity
In Any Case, I Married Feroze Gandhi. Once I Get An Idea In My Head, No One In The World Can Make Me Change My Mind.
Ideas
Mind
World
If By Happiness You Mean Ecstasy ... Yes, I've Known Ecstasy, And It's A Blessing To Be Able To Say It Because Those Who Can Say It Are Very Few. But Ecstasy Doesn't Last Long And Is Seldom If Ever Repeated.
Mean
Blessing
Long
I See Nothing Wrong In Sterilizing A Man Who Has Already Brought Eight Or Ten Children Into The World. Especially If It Helps Those Eight Or Ten Children To Live Better.
Children
Men
Eight
You Said, 'how Is It Possible For Democracy To Work With An Illiterate People Who Are Dying Of Hunger?' But With That People We Made A Democracy Work.
People
Democracy
Dying
Life Is Always Full Of Dangers And I Don't Think One Should Avoid Dangers.
Thinking
Life Is
Danger
It Would Seem That It Was Not In The Interest Of 'someone' For Us To Make Progress. It Was In 'someone's' Interest That We Be Always At War, That We Tear Each Other To Pieces. Yes, I'm Inclined To Absolve The Pakistanis. How Should They Have Behaved? Someone Encouraged Them To Attack Us, Someone Gave Them Weapons To Attack Us. And They Attacked Us.
War
Progress
Tears
I Certainly Won't Have An Empty Life!
Empty Life
Empty
All My Games Were Political Games; I Was, Like Joan Of Arc, Perpetually Being Burned At The Stake.
Games
Cynical
Political
Rebels And Non-conformists Are Often The Pioneers And Designers Of Change.
Rebel
Pioneers
Designer
You Must Learn To Be Still In The Midst Of Activity And To Be Vibrantly Alive In Repose.
Inspirational
Freedom
Women
I Would Like To Ask A Question. Would This Sort Of War Or Savage Bombing Which Has Taken Place In Vietnam Have Been Tolerated For So Long, Had The People Been European?
War
Taken
Long
I Grew Up Like A Boy, Also Because Most Of The Children Who Came To Our House Were Boys.
Children
Boys
House
America Always Thought It Was Helping Pakistan. But If It Hadn't Helped Pakistan, Pakistan Would Have Been A Stronger Country.
Country
America
Stronger
They're The Problems Of Poverty, Of The Rights Of The Individual, Of The Changes Brought About By Technology. They're The Ones That Count, More Than Religion!
Technology
Rights
Poverty
Difficulties Can't Be Eliminated From Life. Individuals Will Always Have Them, Countries Will Always Have Them...the Only Thing Is To Accept Them, If Possible Overcome Them, Otherwise To Come To Terms With Them. It's All Right To Fight, Yes, But Only When It's Possible.
Country
Fighting
Overcoming
A Revolution Is Already Taking Place In India. Things Are Changing Here Already - Peacefully And Democratically. There's No Danger Of Communism. There Would Be If We Had A Rightist Government Instead Of Mine.
Government
Revolution
India
You Soon Realize That The Peak You've Climbed Was One Of The Lowest, That The Mountain Was Part Of A Chain Of Mountains, That There Are Still So Many, So Many Mountains To Climb...and The More You Climb, The More You Want To Climb - Even Though You're Dead Tired.
Tired
Mountain
Want
The Meek May One Day Inherit The Earth, But Not The Headlines.
Peace
One Day
Earth
Our Pride Has Grown In The Last Twenty-five Years, Though Others Don't Understand It And Underestimate It.
Pride
Years
Twenties
Forgiveness Is The Virtue Of Brave.
Brave
Virtue
To Me The Function Of Politics Is To Make Possible The Desirable.
Politics
Function
Desirable
At A Certain Point The Family Moved To Jaipur, Where No Woman Could Avoid The Doli Or Purdah. They Kept Her In The House From Morning To Night, Either Cooking Or Doing Nothing. [my Mother] Hated Doing Nothing, She Hated To Cook. So She Became Pale And Ill, And Far From Being Concerned About Her Health, My Grandfather Said, 'who's Going To Marry Her Now?' So My Grandmother Waited For My Grandfather To Go Out, And Then She Dressed My Mother As A Man And Let Her Go Out Riding With Her Brothers.
Mother
Morning
Brother
People With Clenched Fists Can Not Shake Hands.
Women
Inspirational Life
Hands
The Immediate Is Often The Enemy Of The Ultimate.
Enemy
Ultimate
Martyrdom Does Not End Something, It Only A Beginning.
Reality
Doe
Ends
As A Nation, I Believe We've Acquired Faith In Ourselves.
Believe
I Believe
Nations
I Have Certain Objectives. They're The Same Objectives My Father Had To Give People A Higher Standard Of Living, To Do Away With The Cancer Of Poverty, To Eliminate The Consequences Of Economic Backwardness.
Father
Cancer
People
I Fall In Love With Anything I Do And I Always Try To Do It Well.
Falling In Love
Trying
Wells
If By Religion We Mean A Belief In Humanity Rather Than The Gods, An Effort To Make Man Better And A Little Happier, Then Yes, I'm Very Religious.
Religious
Mean
Men
The Doctors Advised Me Not To Have Even One. My Health Was Still Not Good, And They Said That Pregnancy Might Be Fatal. If They Hadn't Said That To Me, Maybe I Wouldn't Have Got Married. But That Diagnosis Provoked Me, It Infuriated Me. I Answered, 'why Do You Think I'm Getting Married If Not To Have Children? I Don't Want To Hear That I Can't Have Children; I Want You To Tell Me What I Have To Do In Order To Have Children!'
Children
Pregnancy
Thinking
When [my Father] Asked Me To Help Him, I Really Didn't Suspect The Consequences.
Father
Helping
Suspects
The Indians And Pakistanis Are Literally Brothers.
Brother
Even If I Died In The Service Of The Nation, I Would Be Proud Of It. Every Drop Of My Blood... Will Contribute To The Growth Of This Nation And To Make It Strong And Dynamic.
Strong
Blood
Independence
The Word 'when' Is So Important For A People, For An Individual! If An Individual Thinks He Won't Do It, He'll Never Do It. Even If He's Highly Intelligent, Even If He Has Countless Talents.
Intelligent
Thinking
People
No One Ever Indoctrinated Me.
Nothing That Is Worthwhile Is Ever Easy.
Easy
Message In A Bottle
Worthwhile
My Sons...i Was Crazy About My Sons And I Think I've Done A Super Job In Bringing Them Up.
Jobs
Crazy
Son
To Be A Mother, A Housewife, Never Cost Me Any Sacrifice - I Savored Every Minute Of Those Years.
Mother
Sacrifice
Years
[my Mother] Was The Oldest Of Two Sisters And Two Brothers, And She Grew Up With Her Brothers, Who Were About Her Age. She Grew Up, To The Age Of Ten, Like A Wild Colt, And Then All Of A Sudden That Was Over. They Had Forced On Her Her 'woman's Destiny' By Saying, 'this Isn't Done, This Isn't Good, This Isn't Worthy Of A Lady.'
Mother
Brother
Destiny
With Boys I Climbed Trees, Ran Races, And Wrestled. I Had No Complexes Of Envy Or Inferiority Toward Boys. At The Same Time, However, I Liked Dolls.
Boys
Race
Envy
The Sterilization Of Men Is One Method Of Birth Control. The Surest, Most Radical Method. To You It Seems Dreadful. To Me It Seems That, Properly Applied, It's By No Means Dreadful.
Mean
Men
Birth Control
Never Forget That When We Are Silent, We Are One. And When We Speak We Are Two.
Two
Silence
Never Forget
Life Is A Continuous Process Of Adjustment.
Life
Life Is
Process
Would You Consider A Man Or A Woman To Be Complicated? Is It That Difficult To Understand Both The Sexes? We Say That We Know What The Other Sex Is All About, But Is That Really True? Perhaps The Following Witty, Funny Quotes And Sayings Can Help Simplify Things Down About Men.
Witty
Sex
Men
No One Wanted That Marriage, No One. Even Mahatma Gandhi Wasn't Happy About It. As For My Father...it's Not True That He Opposed It, As People Say, But He Wasn't Eager For It. I Suppose Because The Fathers Of Only Daughters Would Prefer To See Them Get Married As Late As Possible.
Daughter
Father
People
In The Face Of Such A Threat, They Had No Other Choice But To Throw Themselves To The Far Left. But Now That The People Are Conscious Of Our Efforts, Now That They See Us Resolving Problems, The Communists Are Losing Strength.
People
Effort
Choices
We Were To Equally Strong Types [with My Husband], Equally Pigheaded - Neither Of Us Wanted To Give In. And...i Like To Think Those Quarrels Made Us Better, That They Enlivened Our Life, Because Without Them We Would Have Had A Normal Life, Yes, But Banal And Boring.
Strong
Husband
Thinking
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