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
I understood . . . that those who desired salvation should act like the trustee who, though having control over great possessions, regards not an iota of them as his own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True leaders should serve selflessly and view their responsibilities as a trust rather than personal possessions.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote conveys the idea that those seeking salvation or a higher moral ground must act with selflessness and responsibility, much like a trustee manages someone else's assets without claiming them as their own. This perspective emphasizes the importance of stewardship, where individuals recognize that their power and resources are to be used for the benefit of others rather than for personal gain.
Themes
SelflessnessTrusteeLeadershipServiceResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a leadership workshop to emphasize the importance of selfless leadership.
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.
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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She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heard her father's voice and her sister Margaret's. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air. (last lines)
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