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.
We have no evidence whatsoever that the soul perishes with the body.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that there is no proof that our essence or soul dies when our physical body does.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote reflects on the profound philosophical question regarding the existence of the soul and its relationship to the body. It implies an exploration of life after death and challenges the notion that our consciousness ends with our physical demise. By stating that there is no evidence for the perishing of the soul, Gandhi invites us to consider the possibility of an enduring essence that transcends physical existence, prompting deeper thought about our beliefs regarding life, death, and what lies beyond.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on life after death at a philosophy club meeting, this quote could be used to highlight differing beliefs about the soul.
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
Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.
I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.
We have embarked globally on a path of unsustainable development. Our lifestyles, the way we produce goods and services, are all part of a system that is completely unsustainable. I see solutions to climate change leading to a much larger philosophical shift in the way human society develops. We need a new matrix to define what human progress is.
Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts of meanness.
We establish a connection with the unknown through the act of giving something and, paradoxically, the act of destroying something. That is what is behind sacrifice. What you offer and what you destroy, it is that surplus which is life itself.
Real people have trouble balancing their checkbooks, much less calculating how much they need to save for retirement; they sometimes binge on food, drink, or high-definition televisions. They are more like Homer Simpson than Mr. Spock.