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 look upon an increase in the power of the State with the greatest fear because, although while apparently doing good by minimizing exploitation, it does the greatest harm to mankind by destroying individuality which lies at the heart of all progress.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gandhi warns against excessive state power as it undermines individuality, which is essential for progress.
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi reflects his apprehension about the growing power of the state, suggesting that it may appear beneficial in terms of reducing exploitation, yet it ultimately inflicts greater harm by eroding individual freedom and creativity. According to Gandhi, individuality is crucial for societal progress, and as state control expands, it risks stifling personal expression and innovative thought, which are necessary for advancement.
Themes
State PowerIndividualityProgressExploitationFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on political philosophy, this quote could be used to illustrate the balance between state authority and individual rights.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes →Love 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
There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money.
Samuel JohnsonRead
To be unattached is not to renounce the world. If you renounce the world you are attached to the world; otherwise why should you renounce it? What is the point in renouncing it if you are not attached to it? Only attachment renounces. If you are really non-attached there is no question of any renunciation.
RajneeshRead
It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.
J. R. R. TolkienRead
Our ancient forebears who learned to synchronize the movements of dance were those with the capacity to predict what others around them were going to do and signal to others what they wanted to do next. These forms of communication may well have helped lead to the formation of larger human communities.
Daniel LevitinRead
Proper deformity shows not in the fiend So horrid as in woman.
William ShakespeareRead
I never came across anyone in whom the moral sense was dominant who was not heartless, cruel, vindictive, log-stupid, and entirely lacking in the smallest sense of humanity. Moral people, as they are termed, are simple beasts.
Oscar WildeRead