Just Joking

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.

Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.

Are creeds such simple things like the clothes which a man can change at will and put on at will? Creeds are such for which people live for ages and ages.

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.

Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts.

But for my faith in God, I should have been a raving maniac.

Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil. Capital in some form or other will always be needed.

Commonsense is the realized sense of proportion.

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.

Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.

Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

Each one prays to God according to his own light.

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.

Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.

Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone.

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.

Faith... must be enforced by reason... when faith becomes blind it dies.

Fear has its use but cowardice has none.

Your capacity to keep your vow will depend on the purity of your life.

Personally, I hold that a man, who deliberately and intelligently takes a pledge and then breaks it, forfeits his manhood.

A vow is fixed and unalterable determination to do a thing, when such a determination is related to something noble which can only uplift the man who makes the resolve.

The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity.

Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.

They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.

Rights that do not flow from duty well performed are not worth having.

The mice which helplessly find themselves between the cats teeth acquire no merit from their enforced sacrifice.

Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause.

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.

Ahimas is the attribute of the soul, and therefore, to be practiced by everybody in all affairs of life. If it cannot be practiced in all departments, it has no practical value.

A ''No'' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a ''Yes'' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil. Capital in some form or other will always be needed.

Truth never damages a cause that is just.

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.

The control of the palate is a valuable aid for the control of the mind.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Fear has its use but cowardice has none.

Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.

Fear of death makes us devoid both of velour and religion. For want of valour is want of religious faith.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

For me every ruler is alien that defies public opinion.

Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?

Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.

Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it.

God is, even though the whole world deny him. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.

God sometimes does try to the uttermost those whom he wishes to bless.

God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.

I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.

I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.

I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world.

I believe that a man is the strongest soldier for daring to die unarmed.

I claim that human mind or human society is not divided into watertight compartments called social, political and religious. All act and react upon one another.

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that

I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.

I do all the evil I can before I learn to shun it? Is it not enough to know the evil to shun it? If not, we should be sincere enough to admit that we love evil too well to give it up.

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.

The mantram becomes one's staff of life and carries one through every ordeal. Each repetition has a new meaning, carrying you nearer and nearer to God.