Gandhi was one of the most brilliant minds of the last century. He was known for his intellectual values of self-discipline and peace. We can learn a lot about the world and how to live our own lives by reading these inspirational quotes about life.

Here are 20 inspirational quotes about life from Gandhi.

1. “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.”

The hard work put into something is what creates self-satisfaction. Someone who works hard to get a job will feel better about themselves than someone who was given the position. Even if the end result isn’t what you expected, the effort is an important part. Work hard, and you will be happy with yourself. You will also take this lesson of hard work with you as you continue in life.

2. “Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but to change ourselves.”

Change begins from within ourselves. If we want to change the world, we need to change ourselves. When we change, the world changes, even if just a bit. Instead of focusing on the other people in the world, we should focus on ourselves. This perspective also gives us a chance to internalize and make ourselves better.

3. “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”

Some people associate being loving with being weak. Gandhi shows us in one of his inspirational quotes that the opposite is the case. The strong and brave people of the world are more capable of showing love and compassion. Cowards prefer to hide those kinds of emotions.

4. “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

Some people see an awful person or action and think all of humanity is tainted. Humanity is large. One lousy person or activity does not necessarily mean that the rest of humanity is also tainted. It’s essential to maintain a positive attitude about humanity, even in the face of a negative situation. Some good people do the right actions, too.

5. “Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you’re right and you know it, speak your mind.”

People should not be afraid to speak up. Speaking up is what helps change humanity for the better. It’s the people who say unusual things that help us move forward as a society.

6. “We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word, and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it.”

There is some animalistic part of the human brain that allows violence. It may not be something that we, as a society, or an individual, can overcome. However, we must continue to try. When violent urges arise, we must make an effort to suppress those urges.

7. “Study not man in his animal nature – man following the laws of the jungle – but study man in all his glory.”

There is a primal aspect to humans. We see it all of the time in the news when we see people murder. We also see it in news reports of pornography. These primal instincts of man are not the things on which we should focus. We should focus on the elevated and evolved moments of humankind. These evolved moments involve higher moral decisions and restraint.

8. “I believe in the essential unity of all people and for that matter of all lives. Therefore, I believe that if one person gains spiritually, the whole world gains, and if one person falls, the whole world falls to that extent.”

Humanity is a sort of balance. Each individual contributes to this balance. While one individual may not skew the balance drastically, they certainly play a role. They can play a role whether they contribute positively or negatively.

9. “Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”

Brute force demonstrates physical strength, but there is something more important than physical strength- peace. Gandhi tells us here that it requires more power to be nonviolent. This is because it forces a person to show self-control instead of acting purely by instinct.

10. “It is my own firm belief that the strength of the soul grows in proportion as you subdue the flesh.”

There is a common saying that with age comes wisdom. This thought process is similar. We tend to grow wiser in every aspect as we get older. This wisdom adds a lot of value to age. Humanity should respect older people for their understanding and internal strength.

11. “Some form of common worship and a common place of worship appear to be a human necessity.”

Gandhi seems to acknowledge that people do, indeed, benefit from religion. As a society, it seems to bring us closer together. Solidarity helps people be kind to each other. Now, he never says that one particular religion is the answer. He says it’s essential for people to gather together to worship.

12. “Life is an aspiration. Its mission is to strive after perfection, which is self-realization. The ideal must not be lowered because of our weaknesses or imperfections.”

The goal of life is to continue striving to be great, even perfect. This is a huge aspiration. However, we need to continue to fight for personal greatness our entire lives. We will likely never achieve perfection, but that should not stop us from trying. When we falter, we need to get back up and continue to work hard.

13. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

You can meditate and internalize all day. The best way to truly find yourself is to help others. It’s important to help family members and other people in your life. You should also volunteer at different charities.

14. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

Many people want to make a bang in the world. We want to help people and make a difference. Many people will scream and brag about reaching their goals. It may be a much better idea to go about your goal quietly and calmly. You can still make a difference calmly.

15. “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.”

People are going to make mistakes and sin. It’s a part of life. When someone commits a horrible sin, we may want to hate that person. This phrase is especially true if the person committed an egregious crime against you or someone you love. However, it’s important not to hate the person. We do not need to enjoy their actions, but we do need to love the person. Ideally, the person will remember this forgiveness and show forgiveness themselves.

16. “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

The young, old, sick, and poor are vulnerable parts of the population. However, every society has these vulnerable members. How do the people in the community treat these less fortunate people? Society is designed to support each other and how they handle these people to help paint a picture of their priorities.

17. “Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his view of truth.”

Some people think that truth is the same for every human being. However, we all have unique experiences giving us a unique perspective. The reality we see may not be the same as the truth that someone else sees. There is nothing wrong with this. We do not need to push our truth on anyone else. Instead, we need to respect each other’s realities.

18. “I will far rather see the race of man extinct than that we should become less than beasts by making the noblest of God’s creation, woman, the object of our lust.”

Gandhi understood that humankind experiences primal urges. These urges represent part of the primal aspects of human nature. To elevate ourselves, we should not become a slave to these urges. We should be able to contain ourselves around the opposite sex. This guidance helps prevent cheating, assault, and other immoral activity.

19. “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

When someone does something wrong to us, a gut reaction is to exact revenge. However, that leads us down a road to terrible things like hatred and war. Instead of seeking retribution, forgive those who wrong you, and move on. You will live more peacefully.

20. “Action expresses priorities.”

If you read the Power of Positivity regularly, you know that we often discuss how to manage time and set goals to live our best lives. Goals are fantastic, but unless you make them a top priority, you will not accomplish them. So, set your goals, then prove your intention by prioritizing and, ultimately, achieving them.

Gandhi quotes about lifeFinal Thoughts on These Quotes About Life by Gandhi

The world can be a scary, chaotic place. These inspirational quotes about life by Gandhi help us put things into perspective. When we work hard to be the best person we can be, we are making a positive change in the world. Other people will attempt to evolve themselves, too.