Mahatma Gandhi Quotes: Inspiring Sayings By India's Iconic Leader And Activist

Monday, Oct. 2, marks the 148th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or "Mahatma" Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule.

Famed for his non-violent approach, Gandhi earned a degree in law in England in 1891, and learned his ropes as a civil rights activist in South Africa. He returned to India in 1915, and led the country to freedom in 1947.

On his 148th birth anniversary, here are some quotes by the great leader, collected from Brainy Quotes and Goodreads.

• Be the change that you wish to see in the world.
• An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.
• Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.
• When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.
• Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes
• Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.
• The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
• What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?
• Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
• The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
• Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
• It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
• The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.
• A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.
• I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
• It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
• My Life is my Message