5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Gandhi

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Mr.SelfDevelopment | CATEGORIES: motivation, self improvement

Mohandas Gandhi was the pre-eminent ideological and political leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered Satyagraha; which is defined as resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience.  This is a philosophy based on complete non-violence.

This idea assisted India in gaining its independence, and provided motivation for civil rights and freedom all across the world.

After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, build religious and ethnic amity, end “untouchability,” and increase economic self-reliance.

Gandhi lived very modestly in a self-sufficient residential community.  He wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl that he hand-spun. He ate vegetarian food, experimented with a fruitarian diet, and fasted as a means of self-purification and protest.

…Without further adieu, I present to you the 5 must-read life lessons from Gandhi:

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Gandhi:

1. Be the Change

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Be the example, be the leader.  If you lead properly people will follow, and together you will change the world.  Anyone can complain, anyone can blame, and most do, but if you desire to change, then “you” be the change.

2. Ask the Right Questions

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”

The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions that you dare to ask.  Are you asking the right questions?  Are you asking the right people?  You can’t get answers, without questions; you can’t make progress, without an inquiring mind.

3.  Always Act

“Have a bias towards action – let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.”

If you’re going to be biased, be biased towards making something happen today.  Tomorrow never comes, any progress to be made, must be made today.  It must be made right now!

If you don’t act now, you don’t have a future, just a longer today.  Gandhi said, “The future depends on what we do in the present.”

4. Forgive

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

It’s not “weaklings” who are quick-to-forgive; it’s those who are strongest.  The ability to forgive quickly is a sign of strength.  How strong are you?

If you’ve been weak in the past, you can begin today to be strong.

5. Monitor Your Beliefs

“Your beliefs become your thoughts.  Your thoughts become your words.  Your words become your actions.  Your actions become your habits.  Your habits become your values.  Your values become your destiny.”

In short, your beliefs will create your destiny.  What do you believe?  What do you believe about yourself, your future, and your potential?  What you believe, you will surely become.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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  • http://www.davidjparsons.com David Parsons

    Thanks for the words of advice

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  • http://www.2knowmyself.com Farouk

    very valuable lessons, thank you for posting them :) ))

  • http://hanofharmony.com The Vizier

    Hi Mr Self-Development,

    Ghandi was truly a remarkable and visionary leader. Even today, years after his death, people continue to look to him as an inspiration.

    Of the life lessons of Ghandi, I enjoy:

    1. Be the Change

    This is a simple, yet profound lesson. It is so much easier to adopt the victim mindset instead of taking a pro-active approach to create the change we want to see. Often fear of then unknown and self-doubts hold us back. But Ghandi was right. We should be the change we want to see in the world. Unless we take a proactive approach, nothing is going to happen.

    3. Always Act

    I believe in small simple steps and actions. Trying to do too much at once can be daunting. The obstacles to such an ambitious undertaking may be too overwhelming for you to handle. By breaking down that big plan into small simple steps, we concentrate all our energies on removing the challenges piece by piece. This is a prudent way to make progress.

    5. Monitor Your Beliefs

    If we do not pay careful attention to our beliefs, it is easy for negativity to sabotage us. This is an area where it would do us much good to put time and effort into to ensure that our beliefs empower us to achieve our goals.

    Thank you for sharing this article!

  • http://www.transformationalmotivation.com/ M. A. Tohami

    My favorite quote from Gandhi is, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

    That’s when you LIVE WITH PASSION.

  • http://www.balancedworklife.com/blog Bryce Christiansen

    Ghandi is a fascinating person to learn from. One of my favorite quotes and lessons I’ve learned from him is.

    “A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”

    Thoughts are power. Thoughts are like the tracks in front of the train. You lay them ahead of you before you arrive at your destination. If you want to change that destination you need to get your tracks in place first.

  • http://www.nadlandgroups.co.il david

    Gandhi is a legend. The teachings are great!

  • http://www.SteveScottSite.com Steve@Lifestyle Design

    There is a really good reason why many people think of Gandhi and think of compassion and wisdom. It is because he is very compassionate and wise.

    People could do far worse than take a page out of Gandhi’s book and follow these steps.

    Great life lessons. Thanks for sharing!

  • Archan Mehta

    I agree, but systemic forces oftentimes work against the individual.

    Gandhi could change the system because he had the charisma to enlist the cooperation of the masses. Millions of people left hearth and home to enjoin in the struggle.

    Only mass consciousness can change the system, so it is easier said than done.

    For example, we all know of the environmental holocaust that awaits us, but how many of us are prepared to walk to work like Gandhi or use alternative technologies like the Scandinavians?

    Can we invent new technologies which are environmental friendly and have the masses adopt it as a new lifestyle choice? Like I said, easier said than done.

    Old French saying, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

    This is not to take anything away from the life and times of a mahatma, but merely to play the devil’s advocate to present a different point of view too.

    Individuals by themselves cannot make a real difference unless there is a mass struggle to raise awareness and make systemic changes, I am afraid. Cheers.

  • http://www.mental-freedom.com Chris Ginsburg

    Thanks for the post. I especially like “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” It resonated very strongly with me.

  • http://www.piportal.co.il/ Ben

    Great post. Gandhiji had “always” been “a great source of inspiration”. From his value lessons I like the term “Monitor your Beliefs” . It is my success secret. I believe in myself.

  • http://www.arinanikitina.com/ arina nikitina

    Yet again, another post that highlights how powerful the mind is! Well, kinda, huh?

    I like No. 5 the most among Ghandi’s lessons.

    “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”

    Even if beliefs are viewed mostly as the fountainhead of actions, beliefs are products of our mind. It is a collection, a result of our perceptions and views that are all processed by the mind. The end then becomes our thoughts that could likely be spoken, fought for, acted on. So then our minds must be opened and has that capability to sift what gets in and gets out. Because those two hones who we become.

    This is not just thought-provoking; it’s a tribute to man’s most powerful tool. Aptly presented as well through the man who lived an exemplary life that tells us how the mind could move mountains.

    Can’t wait for the next post.

    ~Arina~

  • http://www.nadlangroups.co.il David

    We have always wanted to stand at the sides and whine when we could be the change

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  • doryan penyalosa

    Gandhi is a one of a kind person, he makes difference and stand for what he believes, for movies about ghandi check this out:

    http://49ea98fl4v6n7necugtc28skyw.hop.clickbank.net/

  • http://www.planetnaveen.com Naveen @ Blog Of Winning Ideas

    Great article.Thanks for sharing.

    You may want to check out a popular post on my Blog
    Why you should create rather than follow

  • http://paulgoodchild.net/blog/ Paul G.

    Heya, great article!
    You have reminded me that I need to read more about this hero. I know most of the quotes you made of him, especially the first, but it’s always good to be reminded.
    Thanks for a great article, and a great site!
    Paul.

  • http://www.happinessandwisdom.com HappinessandWisdom

    Great post! Number 5 seems most compelling to me, as a full understanding of it, affects everything else on the list. Until we understand the conscious and sub-conscious programs we are running (our beliefs), we cannot fully understand which to keep and which to discard. Once we understand that beliefs shape our lives and can recognize them for what they are, we can make conscious choices, taking control of our lives.

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  • http://ecoexperiment.blogspot.com Layla

    Great article!!

    Ha ha, I totally like it!! And guess what, if you try to live an environmentally healthy life, you can be a great example to others!! (Or at least tell’em what not to do, so they can learn from your mistakes!! :) )

    A LOT is being done in the world about environment, and it’s great! – If everyone does one little bit, together we can do A LOT!! :)

    You can learn more about things and about the system, and slowly start changing the system too!!

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  • MY

    Small but mighty, that’s what I usually call him each time I see his picture. God has so many wise men with him in heaven, Ghandi is one of them. Dont laugh! Am serious.

  • http://www.proverbsandquotes.com Patt

    I was looking up “Your beliefs become your thoughts” and found this post. Thanks!
    The other ones are important to remember, too.

    I like the “Have a bias towards action” quote. It’s true that’s an important life lesson, but we don’t hear that Gandhi quote as often.

  • http://gscurl.com/236 JimmySuccess

    “You are where you are today as a result of the decisions
    you’ve made and the actions you’ve taken. You will be where
    you are tomorrow as a result of the decisions you’re going
    to make and the action’s you’re going to take, and that
    starts today… not tomorrow, not in a week, but today.”

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  • http://twitter.com/hadjibeye Social Entrepreneur

    Very powerful words of advice, also a strong insight on the power of the mind (Napoleon Hill).

  • Sairam Ravulakolu

    ofter read this i can have some ideas about life

  • mayuramvsankaran

    There is now another person in India aspiring to be yet another Gandhi, I mean, Anna Hazare from Ralegaon Siddhi, Maharashtra, India! Will he eventually succeed in his lobbying for a strong ‘Lokapa’ (‘Ombudsman’) for monitoring the system of governance in India in all the three wings of the State — the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary — in order to ensure that they are free from corruption! Will he succeed, especially when his team is not adhering to the values set out here? 

  • Finnmanagement

    this is very good advice

  • http://www.ahowz.com/ michael

    Awesome inspirational stuff from a great man.

  • Salomex3

    I really love this 5 life lessones

  • Itsrkm

    EXTRAORDINARY DETERMINATION WITH ORDINARY BODY

  • Zameer Amiri

    We have to take
    action based on his 5 stapes Gandhi advised us, these are very power full words
    can make changes, Thank you,

    Universe is answering
    to the power of our thoughts, but to not care about positives and negatives
    whatever is your thought will take action based on your mind and thoughts!!! Zameer Amiri

  • Desai123

    It’s Ouesm!!!!!!!!

  • Rajendran

    Very good thoughts…

  • Arjun

    ♥bapu♥

    • Arjun

      good thinking arjun