Quotations of Mahathma Gandhiji
Violence and Non-violence
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?
The good man is the friend of all living things.
Peace is its own reward.
I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Non-violence, which is the quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain.
However much I may sympathise with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes.
I abhor vivisection with my whole soul. All the scientific discoveries stained with innocent blood I count as of no consequence.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.
Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.
The pursuit of truth does not permit violence on one’s opponent.
Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.
Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself.
Experience convinces me that permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth & violence. Even if my belief is a fond delusion, it will be admitted that it is a fascinating delusion.
Violent men have not be known in history to die to a man. They die up to a point.
Non-violence is not a quality to be evolved or expressed to order. It is an inward growth depending for sustenance upon intense individual effort.