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.
Intellect takes us along in the battle of life to a certain limit, but at the crucial moment it fails us. Faith transcends reason. It is when the horizon is the darkest and human reason is beaten down to the ground that faith shines brightest and comes to our rescue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Intellect has its limits, but faith can provide support when reason fails us, especially in difficult times.
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi reflects the idea that while intellect and reasoning are important tools in navigating life's challenges, they sometimes fall short in the face of adversity. In times of despair, when logic and reason can lead to defeat, it is faith that can provide hope and guidance, illuminating a path forward even in the darkest moments. Gandhi emphasizes the power of faith as a source of strength and resilience when human reasoning cannot suffice.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming obstacles, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of having faith in difficult times.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes →Love 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.
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The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering-a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons-a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting-three hundred million people all with the same face.
Traditionalists are pessimists about the future and optimists about the past.
The greatest enemy of individual freedom is the individual himself.
No journey is too great,_x000D_ when one finds what one seeks.