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.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Morality which depends upon the helplessness of a man or woman has not much to recommend it. Morality is rooted in the purity of our hearts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True morality comes from a genuine place within us, rather than from the weakness of others.
Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes that genuine morality is not about taking advantage of the vulnerable but rather stems from the intrinsic goodness and purity of our own hearts. Instead of relying on circumstances where others are at a disadvantage, true moral behavior should be motivated by compassion and kindness that arises from within.
Themes
MoralityCompassionPurityHeartGoodness
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on ethical leadership, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of leading with integrity.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes βLove never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Mahatma GandhiRead
The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma GandhiRead
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.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Similar quotes
You know what I think?" she says. "That people's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive. Whether those memories have any actual importance or not, it doesn't matter as far as the maintenance of life is concerned. They're all just fuel. Advertising fillers in the newspaper, philosophy books, dirty pictures in a magazine, a bundle of ten-thousand-yen bills: when you feed 'em to the fire, they're all just paper.
Haruki MurakamiRead
What we are reluctant to touch often seems the very fabric of our salvation.
Don DelilloRead
No one comes from the earth like grass. We come like trees. We all have roots.
Maya AngelouRead
The minute you think that the past was better, your present is second hand, and yourself becomes vintage - itβs okay for clothes not that great for people
Karl LagerfeldRead
"What would you do with the lazy ones, who would not work?" "No one is lazy. They grow hopeless from the misery of their present existence, and give up. Under our order of things, every man would do the work he liked, and would have as much as his neighbor, so could not be unhappy and discouraged."
Emma GoldmanRead
Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited.
Lord ActonRead