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
Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Joyful service creates a positive impact on both the giver and the receiver, while joyless service lacks value.
This quote emphasizes the importance of joy in service. It suggests that when service is performed without joy, it does not benefit either the person giving or the person receiving it. Conversely, when service is done with a joyful spirit, it transcends all material pleasures and possessions, underscoring that true fulfillment comes from selfless acts performed with love and happiness.
Themes
ServiceJoySelflessnessFulfillmentHappiness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one could quote this to emphasize the importance of joy in giving.
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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