Quotations of Mahathma Gandhiji
Courage
Non-violence and cowardice are contradictory terms. Non-violence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. Non-violence springs from love, cowardice from hate. Non-violence always suffers, cowardice would always inflict suffering. Perfect non-violence is the highest bravery. Non-violent conduct is never demoralising; cowardice always is.
Manliness consists not in bluff, bravado or lordliness. It consists in daring to do the right and facing consequences whether it is in matters social, political or other. It consists in deeds, not words.
Better than cowardice is killing and being killed in battle.
Fear has its use but cowardice has none.
A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.
A “No” uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a “Yes” merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
I believe that a man is the strongest soldier for daring to die unarmed.
It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.
Man lives freely only by his readiness to die, if need be, at the hands of his brother, never by killing him.
You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
It is any day better to stand erect with a broken and bandaged head than to crawl on one’s belly, in order to be able to save one’s head.
Let no one charge me with ever having abused or encouraged weakness or surrendered on matters of principle. But I have said, as I say again, that every trifle must not be dignified into a principle.
Anger is the enemy of Ahimsa [non-violence] and pride is a monster swallows it up.
Let us all be brave enough to die the death of a martyr, but let no one lust for martyrdom.
Real suffering bravely borne, melts even a heart of stone. Such is the potency of suffering. And there lies the key to Satyagraha.
The law of sacrifice is uniform throughout the world. To be effective it demands the sacrifice of the bravest and the most spotless.