Gandhi 38
Gandhi had faith in the inherent goodness latent in men and women:
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
But, he could laugh about it: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Gandhi 39
Not many people can talk directly and authoritatively about evil, but Gandhi could.
“This suggests that evil cannot by itself flourish in this world. It can do so only if it is allied with some good.”
“Evil endures only because of the support it receives from good people, and cannot survive if that support is withdrawn.”
Gandhi 40
Al-Anon contributes a unique tool to the 12 step canon “Detaching with Love”.
Gandhi is a touch verbose here…but it is still the same deal:
“Attachment begets craving and craving begets wrath. Wrath breeds stupefaction, stupefaction leads to loss of memory, loss of memory ruins the reason, and the ruin of reason spells utter destruction.”
“If things do not bind us, if we are not attached to things even when they are easily available, that, according to me, is a greater test of our attachment than mere withdrawal to a lonely forest.”
Gandhi 41
Gandhi grew up a strict Hindu but attended a temple where the holy Scriptures of both the Muslims and the Hindus were studied for their universal truths. He was eventually murdered, by a Hindu, who believed that Gandhi was conceding too much to the Muslims during parcelling of India and Pakistan after World War II.
“God is the hardest taskmaster on this earth. He tries you through and through. And when you find that your faith is failing, he comes to your assistance and proves that he is always with you, but on his terms, not yours.”
“I believe in both Gods, the one that serves us and the one that we serve. It cannot be that we should render service and should not receive service of any kind.”
“The man who really lives a life of contemplation will outwardly seem a man of the world. His mind may be absorbed in God all hours of the day, but he will move in the world like other men.”
“Seeing God means realization of the fact that God abides in one's heart.”
“I have faith and knowledge, too, that a Power exists beyond reasoning. This suffices for me. I am unable to clarify this any further as I know nothing more in the matter.”