To forgive is not to forget. The merit lies in loving in spite of the vivid knowledge that one that must be loved is not a friend. There is not merit in loving an enemy when you forget him for a friend.
Mahatma GandhiRead
You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilisation to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the superficial treatment of sacred texts and emphasizes their transformative potential.
Mahatma Gandhi highlights the immense power and significance of religious texts, suggesting that they contain transformative ideas capable of changing the world. He critiques the way these texts are often disregarded, viewed merely as literature rather than as sources of potential peace and civilization's renewal.
Themes
ReligionPhilosophyTransformationPeaceLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on the role of religion in society.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes →Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
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The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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The devotion of such titans of spirit as Lenin to an Ideal must bear fruit. The nobility of his selflessness will be an example through centuries to come, and his Ideal will reach perfection.
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