A principle is the expression of perfection, and as imperfect beings like us cannot practise perfection, we devise every moment limits of its compromise in practice.

Man can never be a woman's equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her.

I know, to banish anger altogether from one's breast is a difficult task. It cannot be achieved through pure personal effort. It can be done only by God's grace.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Providence has its appointed hour for everything. We cannot command results, we can only strive.

Poverty is the worst form of violence.

It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.

All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth.

To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse then starving the body; it is starvation of the soul, the dweller in the body.

The real ornament of woman is her character, her purity.

For me every ruler is alien that defies public opinion.

Fear has its use but cowardice has none.

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.

I have also seen children successfully surmounting the effects of an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul.

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.

I have worshipped woman as the living embodiment of the spirit of service and sacrifice.

You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.

Imitation is the sincerest flattery.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem.

God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us.

Rights that do not flow from duty well performed are not worth having.

Though we may know Him by a thousand names, He is one and the same to us all.

Non-violence and truth are inseparable and presuppose one another.

My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him.

The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body.

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.

All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.

Each one prays to God according to his own light.

We must become the change we want to see in the world.

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

I will far rather see the race of man extinct than that we should become less than beasts by making the noblest of God's creation, woman, the object of our lust.

Non-violence, which is the quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain.

Morality which depends upon the helplessness of a man or woman has not much to recommend it. Morality is rooted in the purity of our hearts.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.

Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.

Only he can take great resolves who has indomitable faith in God and has fear of God.

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.

Infinite striving to be the best is man's duty; it is its own reward. Everything else is in God's hands.

Fear of death makes us devoid both of valour and religion. For want of valour is want of religious faith.

Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it.

Religion is more than life. Remember that his own religion is the truest to every man even if it stands low in the scales of philosophical comparison.

That service is the noblest which is rendered for its own sake.

We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.