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
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True greatness comes from personal transformation rather than attempting to change the world.
Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes that the essence of being human is not about the capability to alter the external world or its structures, but rather about the power of self-transformation and self-improvement. In a time marked by technological advancements and rapid changes, he challenges us to focus on our internal development and moral evolution instead of being seduced by the idea that we can or should reshape the world at large.
Themes
GreatnessTransformationSelf-ImprovementChangeHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one could quote Gandhi to inspire individuals to focus on self-improvement.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes →Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Mahatma GandhiRead
The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma GandhiRead
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.
Mahatma GandhiRead
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How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.
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life is of no value but as it brings gratifications. among the most valuable of these is rational society. it informs the mind, sweetens the temper, chears our spirits, and promotes health.
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This single Stick, which you now behold ingloriously lying in that neglected Corner, I once knew in a flourishing State in a Forest: It was full of Sap, full of Leaves, and full of Boughs: But now, in vain does the busy Art of Man pretend to vie with Nature, by tying that withered Bundle of Twigs to its sapless Trunk: It is at best but the Reverse of what it was; a Tree turned upside down, the Branches on the Earth, and the Root in the Air.
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