“Here is a mantra, a short one that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery,” – Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi and ‘Father of the Nation’ is remembered for his contributions to India’s independence movement. A nationalist, Gandhi Ji was known for his philosophy of ‘Ahimsa’ or non-violence, with which he led major movements including the Non-cooperation Movement in 1920, the Civil-Disobedience Movement in 1930 and the Quit India Movement in 1942 against the British colonial rule.
Respecting his philosophy and strategy of non-violence, the United Nation’s International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Gandhi Ji was assassinated on the 30th January, 1948 in Delhi just a few months after India gained independence. His death anniversary is observed as Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Diwas in India.
On Mahatma Gandhi’s 76th death anniversary, we remember a few quotes by this great Indian leader, who dedicated his life to the service of our nation.
Mahatma Gandhi’s inspirational quotes
“First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
“It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone.”
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will”
“Strength does not come from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end up really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
“Self-respect knows no considerations.”
“No one can hurt me without my permission.”
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing, would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
“The future depends on what you do today.”
“There are two days in the year that we cannot do anything, yesterday and tomorrow.”
“Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but to change ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on Humanity
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” “Do not judge others. Be your own judge and you will be truly happy. If you try to judge others, you are likely to burn your fingers.”
“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.”
“An ounce of patience is worth more than a tonne of preaching.”
“To lose patience is to lose the battle.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“See the good in people and help them.”
“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”
“Gentleness, self-sacrifice, and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.”
“Service without humility is selfishness and egotism.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on Lifestyle
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.”
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
“Look at the sparrows; they do not know what they will do in the next moment. Let us literally live from moment to moment.”
“Man should forget his anger before he goes to sleep.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on Religion
“The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different.”
“My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him.”
“Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes on Freedom
“I am not going to be satisfied with anything short of complete freedom. May be, he (the Viceroy) will propose the abolition of salt tax, the drink evil. But I will say nothing less than freedom.”
“Here is a mantra, a short one that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.”
“In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by nonviolence, there will be equal freedom for all.”
“Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man.”
“Ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for India’s independence.”
“I believe that in the history of the world, there has not been a more genuinely democratic struggle for freedom than ours.”
“A non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country.”
“Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today. Once you realize this you will forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of ourselves as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence.”
