Happy Birthday, Gandhi

One hundred and forty years ago today, a man was born who would go on to liberate his country from British occupation through non-violent civil disobedience and a philosophy that valued truth and love over cynicism and force.

The philosophy Gandhi articulated (and lived) inspired Martin Luther King a half century later in the struggle for African-American civil rights in the US.

Gandhi's wisdom about the long-standing power of peace and love and the contrasting short shelf life of hate and violence is particularly important in planning and living in a sustainable world.

A few inspirational quotes:



And eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

Freedom is not worth having if it does not included the freedom to make mistakes.

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

Where there is love, there is life.

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.

To conceal ignorance is to increase it. An honest confession of it, however, gives ground for the hope that it will diminish some day or the other.

There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.