Geographic Alliance of Iowa

Understanding India By
Understanding Gandhi’s Message
By Natasha Cooper and Kathy Sundstedt

"If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore Gandhi at our own risk." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Character Education Nonviolence Justice

Objective:
Students will read some of Gandhi’s sayings to determine what he perceived as valuable human characteristics.

Standards:
10: Human Systems: Identifying cultural characteristics of India through primary sources

Themes:
Place

Multiple Intelligences:

Classification
Verbal/Linguistic

Materials:
Gandhi Quotes

Background:
Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) was affected by Indian and Western cultural values. He shaped India’s recent history by leading the movement for India’s independence from Britain, which was achieved in 1947.

Procedure:
Read some of Gandhi’s sayings. Classify his messages. Which are about nonviolence? (Label those statements "N") Which are about Justice (Label "J") Which are about improving our own characters? ("CE" Character Education)

Literacy education is of no value, if it is not able to build up a sound character. – 1917

Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the right to participate in the minutest details in the activities of man, and she has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him. – 1917

Hatred ever kills, love never dies such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality, for it increases hatred. – 1919

Public opinion alone can keep a society pure and healthy.

Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will. – 1920

The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted. – 1920

There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts. – 1921

Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit – 1921

If we want to cultivate a true spirit of democracy, we cannot afford to be intolerant. Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause. – 1922

Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself. – 1924

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment. – 1925

Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy. – 1927

It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by the humiliation of their fellow beings. – 1927

All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but truth. – 1927

Non-violence and cowardice are contradictory terms. Non-violence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. Non-violence springs from love, cowardice from hate. Non-violence always suffers, cowardice would always inflict suffering. Perfect non-violence is the highest bravery. Non-violent conduct is never demoralizing, cowardice always is. – 1929

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress. – 1929

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men. – 1930

I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others. – 1933

Evil is good or truth misplaced. – 1933

Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. – 1935

The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body. – 1936

The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different. – 1937

It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us. This we can do only if we are not angry at our critic but will take in good heart whatever they might have to say. – 1939

Democracy must in essence, therefore, mean the art and science of mobilizing the entire physical, economic, and spiritual resources of all the various sections of the people in the service of the common good of all. – 1939

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. - 1945