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
No sacrifice is worth the name unless it is a joy. Sacrifice and a long face go ill together. Sacrifice is 'making sacred'. He must be a poor specimen of humanity who is in need of sympathy for his sacrifice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True sacrifice should be joyful rather than burdensome.
In this quote, Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes that genuine sacrifice is rooted in joy and a sense of purpose. He argues that if one feels burdened or sorrowful about their sacrifice, it diminishes the nobility of the act, as true sacrifice is about elevating oneself and contributing positively to the world, not seeking sympathy or pity from others.
Themes
SacrificeJoyHumanitySympathyNobility
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about volunteerism, one might quote Gandhi to inspire joy in service rather than seeing it as a burden.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes →Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
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Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
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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.
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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