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Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

Civil rights leader

A leader of the Indian independence movement, lawyer, politician, and social activist, Mahatma Gandhi is revered as the 'Father of the Nation'. He advocated for non-violence and unity between Hindus and Muslims, leading the Indian struggle for independence and profoundly influencing history both in India and around the world.

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Famous Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

“The cottage industry of India had to perish in order that Lancashire might flourish.”

Might Order Industry India Cottages Lancashire

Book:Quit India

Source: Quit India

“Drink is not a fashion in India, as it is in the West.”

Fashion Drink India West

Book:The Good Life

Source: The Good Life

“The British Government in India constitutes a struggle between modern civilization, which is the Kingdom of Satan, and the ancient civilization, which is the Kingdom of God.”

Government Struggle Modern Civilization India Ancient British Kingdoms Satan Kingdom Of God Modern Civilization Ancient Civilizations British Government

Book:Hind Swaraj

Source: Hind Swaraj

“The unparalleled extravagance of English rule has demented the rajas and the maharajas who, unmindful of consequences, ape it and grind their subjects to dust.”

Subjects Consequence India Dust Apes Grind Extravagance Demented

Book:The Essential Writings

Source: The Essential Writings

“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.”

Way Firsts Would Be Party India British Division Magnitude Blunders

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Half-a-dozen or twenty cities of India alone working together cannot bring Swaraj.”

Together Cities Half India Twenties Working Together Dozen

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Nonviolent non-co-operators can only succeed when they have succeeded in attaining control over the hooligans of India.”

Succeed India Operators

Book:Gandhi: Selected Political Writings

Source: Gandhi: Selected Political Writings

“Nowhere in the world would you find such skeletons of cows and bullocks as you do in our cow-worshipping India.”

World India Cows Skeletons

Book:Hindu Dharma

Source: Hindu Dharma

“The Khaddar of my conception is that handspun cloth entirely takes the place of mill cloth in India.”

India Conception Mills

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“Khaddar has the greatest organizing power in it because it has itself to be organized and because it affects all India.”

India Organized

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Khadi to me is the symbol of unity of Indian humanity, of its economic freedom and equality and, therefore, ultimately, in the poetic expression of Jawaharlal Nehru, 'the livery of India's freedom'.”

Humanity Economic Expression India Unity Symbols Indian Poetic Economic Freedom Freedom And Equality Nehru

Book:India of My Dreams

Source: India of My Dreams

“The fragrance of nonviolence was never sweeter than it was today amidst the stink of violence of the most cowardly type that was being displayed in the cities of India.”

Today Cities Violence Type India Nonviolence Fragrance Cowardly Stink

Book:Communal Unity

Source: Communal Unity

“Jail-going is only the beginning, not the end of satyagraha. The acme of satyagraha for us would be to lay down our lives for the defence of India's just cause.”

Ends Would Be Causes Our Lives India Lays Jail Defence Satyagraha

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“The mentality which made one section of the Indians look upon another as enemies was suicidal; it could only serve to perpetuate their slavery.”

Looks Made Enemy India Slavery Look Up Mentality Sections Suicidal

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“Our non-co-operation is with the system the English have established in India, with the material civilization and its attendant greed and exploitation of the weak.”

Materials Civilization Weak India Greed Operations Exploitation

Book:All Men Are Brothers

Source: All Men Are Brothers

“Nothing depends upon the death of an individual, be he ever so great, but much depends upon the freedom of India.”

Individual Depends India

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“The whole of India was the home of every Indian who considered himself as one and behaved as such, no matter to what faith he belonged.”

Matter Whole Home India Indian

Book:Communal Unity

Source: Communal Unity

“Many persons claiming different faiths make us one and an indivisible nation. All these have an equal claim to be the nationals of India.”

Persons Different Nations Equal India Claims Indivisible Different Faiths

Book:The Way to Communal Harmony

Source: The Way to Communal Harmony

“The states can make the finest contribution to the building of India's future independence if they set the right example in their own territories.”

Ifs States Example Building India Independence Contribution Territory Finest

Book:Gandhi on Nehru

Source: Gandhi on Nehru

“It is the absolute right of India to misgovern herself.”

India Absolutes

Book:Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

“The ideal is a synthesis of the different cultures that have come to stay in India, that have influenced Indian life, and that, in their turn, have themselves been influenced by the spirit of the soil.”

Different Spirit Turns Culture Ideals India Indian Soil Different Cultures Synthesis

Book:The Selected Works of Mahatma Gandhi: Satyagraha in South Africa

Source: The Selected Works of Mahatma Gandhi: Satyagraha in South Africa

“Unity among the different races and the different religions of India is indispensable to the birth of national life.”

Different Race Birth India Unity Indispensable Different Religions Different Races

Book:Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

“Swaraj means ability to regard every inhabitant of India as our own brother or sister.”

Mean Ability Brother India Regard

Book:Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi

“Let us remember that we are all Indians eating Indian grain and salt, and living on the dumb Indian masses.”

Remember Eating Mass India Dumb Indian Salt Grain Living On

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“Final Satyagraha is inconceivable without an honorable peace between the several communities composing the Indian nation.”

Nations Community India Finals Indian Honorable Composing Satyagraha

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“The West has yet to discover anything so hygienic as the Indian toothstick.”

India West Indian

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Idleness is the great plague of India.”

India Idleness Plague

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Mass illiteracy is India's sin and shame and must be liquidated.”

Sin Mass India Shame Illiteracy

Book:India of My Dreams

Source: India of My Dreams

“There is every reason for being cautious about founding new universities till India has digested Her newly acquired freedom.”

Reason India University Founding Cautious

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“If there was any teacher in the world who insisted upon the inexorable law of cause and effect, it was Gautam, and yet my friends, the Buddhists outside India, would, if they could, avoid the effects of their own acts.”

Ifs World Law Causes Teacher Effects My Friends India Buddhist Cause And Effect Inexorable

Book:Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi

“In this, of all the countries in the world, possession of inordinate wealth by individuals should be held as a crime against Indian humanity.”

World Should Country Humanity Individual Wealth Crime India Possession Indian

Book:Glorious Thoughts of Gandhi: Being a Treasury of about Ten Thousand Valuable and Inspiring Thougths of Mahatma Gandhi, Classified Under Four Hundred Subjects

Source: Glorious Thoughts of Gandhi: Being a Treasury of about Ten Thousand Valuable and Inspiring Thougths of Mahatma Gandhi, Classified Under Four Hundred Subjects

“We must break through the provincial crust if we are to reach the core of all-India nationalism.”

Ifs Break India Core Nationalism Break Through

Book:India of My Dreams

Source: India of My Dreams

“The commerce between India and Africa will be of ideas and services, not of the manufactured goods against raw materials after the fashion of the Western exploiters.”

Ideas Fashion Materials India Western Goods Commerce Raw Materials E Commerce

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“If untouchability lives, Hinduism perishes and even India perishes, but if untouchability is eradicated from the Hindu heart, root and branch, then Hinduism has a definite message for the world.”

Ifs World Heart Messages Roots India Branches Hinduism Definite Untouchability Roots And Branches

Book:The Message of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: The Message of Mahatma Gandhi

“We Indians are one as no two Englishmen are.”

Two India Englishmen

Book:The Penguin Gandhi Reader

Source: The Penguin Gandhi Reader

“Unexampled bravery, born of nonviolence, coupled with strict honesty shown by a fair number of Muslims, is sure to infect the whole of India.”

Whole Born Numbers Honesty Fairs India Bravery Nonviolence Strict

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“Unless nonviolence of the strong is really developed among us, there should be no thought of civil disobedience for Swaraj, whether within the states or in British India.”

Should States Strong India British Nonviolence Disobedience Civil Disobedience

Book:The Indian States' Problem

Source: The Indian States' Problem

“A government builds its prestige upon the apparently voluntary association of the governed.”

Government India Association Prestige

Book:Gandhi: Selected Writings

Source: Gandhi: Selected Writings

“Government of the people by the people and for the people cannot be conducted at the bidding of one man, however great he may be.”

People Men May Government India One Man Bidding

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“I have not hesitated to call the system of Government under which we are labouring 'satanic' and I withdraw naught out of it.”

Government India Satanic Systems Of Government

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“Under my plan, the state will be there to carry out the will of the people, not to dictate to them or to force them to do its will.”

People States Government Force Plans India

Book:Gandhi: Selected Political Writings

Source: Gandhi: Selected Political Writings

“Every person in a well-ordered state is fully conscious of both his responsibilities and his rights.”

Wells Persons States Government Responsibility Rights Conscious India

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“The stability of the State depends upon the readiness of every citizen to subordinate his rights to those of the rest.”

States Government Rights Depends Citizens India Stability Readiness Subordinates

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“Do not concentrate on showing the misdeeds of the government, for we have to convert and befriend those who run it.”

Government Running India Misdeeds

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“When real independence comes to India, the Congress and the League will be nowhere unless they represent the real opinion of the country.”

Real Country Opinion India Independence Congress League

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“For me patriotism is the sme as humanity. I am patriotic because I am human and humane. It is not exclusive. I will not hurt England or Germany to serve India . . . My patriotism is inclusive and admits of no enmity or ill-will.”

Humans Humanity Hurt India England Ill Germany Patriotic Exclusive Humane Enmity Ill Will

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

“I have even seen the writings suggesting that I am playing a deep game, that I am using the present turmoil to foist my fads on India, and am making religious experiments at India's expense. I can only answer that Satyagraha is made of sterner stuff. There is nothing reserved and nothing secret in it.”

Writing Made I Can Games Stuff Religious Answers Secret India Experiments Expenses Reserved Turmoil Suggesting Fads Satyagraha

Book:Hind Swaraj

Source: Hind Swaraj

“If India adopted the doctrine of love as an active part of her religion and introduced it in her politics. Swaraj would descend upon India from heaven. But I am painfully aware that that event is far off as yet.”

Ifs Heaven Events India Active Doctrine Adopted

Book:Indian Home Rule

Source: Indian Home Rule

“It is impossible for me to reconcile myself to the idea of conversion after the style that goes on in India and elsewhere today. It is an error which is perhaps the greatest impediment to the world's progress toward peace. ... Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?”

Source: Christian Missions, Their Place in India

“If I could wake all of the women of Asia, India could be won in a day.”

Ifs India If I Could Asia

Author:Mahatma Gandhi

About the Author

Born: October 2, 1869
Died: January 30, 1948
Known for: Civil rights leader
Quotes: 3239

Books & Sources

Collected WorksRelated source material

All Men Are BrothersRelated source material

The Wit and Wisdom of GandhiRelated source material

Collected Works of Mahatma GandhiRelated source material

India of My DreamsRelated source material

The Mind of Mahatma GandhiRelated source material

The Encyclopaedia of Gandhian ThoughtsRelated source material

All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical ReflectionsRelated source material

Glorious Thoughts of Gandhi: Being a Treasury of about Ten Thousand Valuable and Inspiring Thougths of Mahatma Gandhi, Classified Under Four Hundred SubjectsRelated source material

Soul Force: Gandhi's Writings on PeaceRelated source material

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