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
Mankind is notoriously too dense to read the signs that God sends from time to time. We require drums to be beaten into our ears, before we should wake from our trance and hear the warning and see that to lose oneself in all, is the only way to find oneself.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that humanity often misses important signs or messages from a higher power, requiring significant events to awaken awareness.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote reflects on the human tendency to overlook subtle guidance from the divine, instead needing loud, clear signals to realize major truths about existence. It emphasizes that to truly understand oneself and one's purpose, one must surrender and connect with the larger whole, hinting at the transformative nature of introspection and humility.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of being open to life's lessons.
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.
Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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.
Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence.
Don't try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night.
Be not merely good. Be good for something.
Always fall in with what you're asked to accept. Take what is given, and make it over your way. My aim in life has always been to hold my own with whatever's going. Not against: with.
Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.
All my life I have placed great store in civility and good manners, practices I find scarce among the often hard-edged, badly socialized scientists with whom I associate. Tone of voice means a great deal to me in the course of debate. I despise the arrogance and doting self-regard so frequently found among the very bright.
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