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.
All crime is a kind of disease and should be treated as such.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Crime is likened to a disease that requires treatment, not punishment.
In this quote, Mahatma Gandhi suggests that crime should not merely be viewed as a moral failing or a reason for punishment, but rather as a societal issue that can be addressed through understanding, rehabilitation, and the provision of support. By treating crime as a disease, it emphasizes the need to address its root causes, such as poverty, education, and social injustice, and to heal individuals and communities rather than simply penalizing wrongdoing.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about criminal justice reform, this quote could be used to advocate for more rehabilitative approaches rather than punitive measures.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes βLove never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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.
Similar quotes
It just seems to be a human trait to want to protect the speech of people with whom we agree. For the First Amendment, that is not good enough. So it is really important that we protect First Amendment rights of people no matter what side of the line they are on.
However much you knock at nature's door, she will never answer you in comprehensible words.
There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.
The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?
Learning to weep, learning to keep vigil, learning to wait for the dawn. Perhaps this is what it means to be human.
The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ; in the poor brother Christ is knocking at the door.