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
Many an individual has turned from the mean, personal, acquisitive point of view to one that sees society as a whole and works for its benefit. If there has been such a change in one person, there can be the same change in many.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of shifting from self-centeredness to a focus on societal welfare.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote reflects the transformative power of perspective in individuals. It suggests that when one person shifts their viewpoint from being selfish and self-interested to considering the well-being of society, it demonstrates the potential for change within others, implying that collective transformation is possible when individuals adopt a broader, more altruistic outlook.
Themes
SocietyTransformationAltruismBenevolenceSelflessness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a community service event to inspire volunteers.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes βLove 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
Similar quotes
Liberty, as it is conceived by current opinion, has nothing inherent about it; it is a sort of gift or trust bestowed on the individual by the state pending good behavior.
Mary MccarthyRead
Oddly, I feel more protected when I write in Italian, even though I'm also more exposed.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
That we devote ourselves to God, is seen In living just as though no God there were.
Robert BrowningRead
If God is the Creator of all things and evil is a thing, then God is the Creator of evil and He is to be blamed for its existence. No, evil is not a thing but a wrong choice, or the damage done by a wrong choice. Evil is no more a positive thing than blindness is, but it is just as real.
Peter KreeftRead
Imagine that each time you inhale, that the universe is breathing into you, and as you exhale it is breathing out of you.
Andrew WeilRead
It seems to me that we often commit ourselves wholly to something while knowing almost nothing concrete about it. Another word for that, I suppose, is 'faith.'
Zadie SmithRead