QuotesIII

"Everything I learned about non-violence I learned in my marriage."

"Literally speaking, ahimsa means non-violence. But to me it has much higher,
infinitely higher meaning. It means that you may not offend anybody; you may not harbor
uncharitable thought, even in connection with those who you consider your enemies. To
one who follows this doctrine, there are no enemies. A man who believes in the
efficacy of this doctrine finds in the ultimate stage, when he is about to reach the goal, the
whole world at his feet."

"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills. All
I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could."

"Instead of training women to use a dagger, it is better to teach them to be fearless."

"A "no" uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a "yes" merely
uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble."

"Non-violence is the greatest weapon in the hands of mankind."

"I stress prayer because I believe in a higher power. Birth is not just an accident. Each
man has to reap the fruits of his karma. It would be a good thing if we can think of God
throughout the day; but as this is not possible, we should remember God at least for a few
minutes daily. If we do not express gratitude for the many bounties of providence daily,
life ceases to have any meaning."

"Prayer has been the saving of my life. Without it I should have been a lunatic long ago."

"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness...
It is better in prayer to have a heart without words, than words without a heart."

"The power that pervades the universe is also present in the human heart. The body
does not offer it any obstruction. The obstruction is something of our own making, and is
removed by prayer."

"In all my trials - of a spiritual nature, as a lawyer, in conducting institutions, and in
politics - I can say that God saved me. When every hope is gone, "when helpers fail and
comforts flee," I find that help arrives somehow, from I know not where. Supplication,
worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating,
drinking, sitting or walking. It is no exaggeration to say that they alone are real, all else
is unreal. Prayer needs no speech. It springs from the heart... and it must be combined
with the utmost humility."

"Our prayer is a heart search. It is a reminder to ourselves that we are helpless without
God's support... Prayer is a call to humility. It is a call to self-purification, to inward
search."

"I have talked of the necessity for prayer, and therethrough I have dealt with the essence of
prayer. We are born to serve our fellow humans, and we cannot properly do so unless we
are wide awake. There is an eternal struggle raging in man's breast between the powers of
darkness and of light, and he who has not the anchor of prayer to rely upon will be a
victim to the powers of darkness... Take care of the vital thing and other things will take
care of themselves. Begin your day with prayer, and make it so soulful that it may remain
with you until the evening. Close the day with prayer so that you may have a peaceful
night free from dreams & nightmares."

"I have philosophical reasons to advocate vegetarianism. I believe that the animals have
spirits and souls also."

QUOTES FROM AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND PRAYER