I came across a blog that listed Gandhi’s Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World.
1. Change
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”
2. Control.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”
3. Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
4. Action.
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”
5. The present moment.
“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”
6. Everyone is human.
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“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.”
7. Persist.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
8. Goodness.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”
9. Truth
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
10. Development.
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”
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Dear Sir,
First I wanted to tell that i am an ardent reader of yours and your writings have never failed to bring a smile….your readings are filled with wisdom which no one can match…it helped me improve my thoughts and my personality!
Gandhiji also gave a powerful tool to the world….which is non- violence! Sir, I first didn’t believe in non violence …..but recently when the whole India witnessed a strong non violent agitation against corruption…and when finally the Govt. accepted to pass the lokpal bill, I did start believing in it! There are so many protests going on all over the world…..some have turned into nightmares….but it was only due to the teachings of Gandhiji that in such a massive protest in India….not a single civilian was harmed….nor any govt official was harmed and no property was damaged! It was really amazing!
Thanking You.
Yours truly,
siddhant
The more I read about Gandhi, more I got inspired to read about values put by the great man before us. He was a simply a legend that can’t be ignored by anyone. He was rich & educated as a professional Lawyer but prefer not to avail any luxury as his country men are poor. He leap against wrong alone & change the world. Most important, he told us that its peace & truth that’s more effective money & power.
India has lived another revolution with his values in Jan Lokpal support with Anna Hazare.
I doubt if Mr. Gandhi really lived by Fundamental#6
Mr. Gandhi’s views on the caste system–which constitutes the main social problem in India–were fully elaborated by him in 1921-22 in a Gujrati journal called Nava-Jivan. The article is written in Gujrati. English translation given below. Says Mr. Gandhi:
(1) I believe that if Hindu Society has been able to stand it is because it is founded on the caste system.
(2) The seeds of swaraj are to be found in the caste system. Different castes are like different sections of miliary division. Each division is working for the good of the whole….
(3) A community which can create the caste system must be said to possess unique power of organization.
(4) Caste has a ready made means for spreading primary education. Each caste can take the responsibility for the education of the children of the caste. Caste has a political basis. It can work as an electorate for a representative body. Caste can perform judicial functions by electing persons to act as judges to decide disputes among members of the same caste. With castes it is easy to raise a defense force by requiring each caste to raise a brigade.
(5) I believe that interdining or intermarriage are not necessary for promoting national unity. That dining together creates friendship is contrary to experience. If this was true there would have been no war in Europe…. Taking food is as dirty an act as answering the call of nature. The only difference is that after answering call of nature we get peace while after eating food we get discomfort. Just as we perform the act of answering the call of nature in seclusion so also the act of taking food must also be done in seclusion.
(6) In India children of brothers do not intermarry. Do they cease to love because they do not intermarry? Among the Vaishnavas many women are so orthodox that they will not eat with members of the family nor will they drink water from a common water pot. Have they no love? The caste system cannot be said to be bad because it does not allow interdining or intermarriage between different castes.
(7) Caste is another name for control. Caste puts a limit on enjoyment. Caste does not allow a person to transgress caste limits in pursuit of his enjoyment. That is the meaning of such caste restrictions as interdining and intermarriage.
(8) To destroy caste system and adopt Western European social system means that Hindus must give up the principle of hereditary occupation which is the soul of the caste system. Hereditary principle is an eternal principle. To change it is to create disorder. I have no use for a Brahmin if I cannot call him a Brahmin for my life. It will be a chaos if every day a Brahmin is to be changed into a Shudra and a Shudra is to be changed into a Brahmin.
(9) The caste system is a natural order of society. In India it has been given a religious coating. Other countries not having understood the utility of the caste system, it existed only in a loose condition and consequently those countries have not derived from caste system the same degree of advantage which India has derived. These being my views I am opposed to all those who are out to destroy the caste system.
Thanks for sharing these pearls of wisdom. These are eternal guidelines for leading a deeply happy and contended life:)
Ghandhi was a great person. He is still alive in our brain as a way of living….he was an ideal, a perfect symbol of how weakness can become strength.
and I always love the one about the moral of a nation is determined by the way they treat their animals…or something down the line of those words…where does that leave us on Aruba…
awesome wisdom except point 2 and 3, an eye for an eye is pure human system and creates deterrence and balance in the society
Wonderful! Thank you. Very glad i stopped by on this.
Have to connect, , , , , soon! If not for the worid, then at least for our friendship.
Gracias Gandhi allá donde estés. Gracias Paulo por recordarnos su figura y su sabiduría atemporal.
The popular world or the self and the surroundings moved far off from these saying.. to make it look impractical.. probably the present gen need a mid point first
Dear Paulo,
l can’t say how much Happy l am to see Our Gandhiji’s views in this blog..
‘l have nothing new to teach the world ,truth and non violence are as old as the hills’_Gandhi.
Gracias por compartir la sabiduria del Mtro. Gandhi con nosotros.
Namaste, Thank you for sharing the list of Gandhiji’s words of wisdom, sometimes we need the reminder so much , that we are the recipients of such a great personality.
Namaste from India!
Thank you for posting these thoughts.
I especially like the ones on ACTION & PERSISTENCE -
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
So true! India’s struggle for Independence is deeply rooted in these words!
Thank you once again!
“DIEZ FUNDAMENTOS PARA CAMBIAR EL MUNDO” CAMBIO, CONTROL, PERDON, ACCION, EL MOMENTO PRESENTE, TODO EL MUNDO ES HUMANO, PERSISTEN, VERDAD, Y DESARROLLO. “POR UNA GUATEMALA EN PAZ” SALUDOS A TODOS MIS AMIGOS Y FAMILIARES RESIDENTES EN EE.UU.
Dear Paolo,
Any chance you will be visiting Greece?? I recently opened a small bookstore and of course I realize the chances of you coming to Greece are less than 1/1000 – it never hurts to ask :))))
Hope all teh best for you
Marilena
“DIEZ FUNDAMENTOS PARA CAMBIAR EL MUNDO” CAMBIO, CONTROL, PERDON, ACCION, EL MOMENTO PRESENTE, TODO EL MUNDO ES UMANO, PERSISTIR, VERDAD, Y DESARROLLO. “POR UNA GUATEMALA EN PAZ” SALUDOS A TODOS MIS FAMILIARES Y AMIGOS RESIDENTES EN U.S.A.
quien eres tu?, no lo se, pero aprendo de ti; quien soy yo? un ser que lucha dia a dia por un cambio , pues me doy cuenta que jamas estamos estaticos;y le pido a Dios que de cada ser que existe busque en si mismo eso que tanto nosecitamos , tolerancia , paciencia , pero sobre todo amor!aprendo dia con dia a no pedirles cambios a los de mas , pues ellos lo hacen sin darse cuenta; o tal vez , lo estare haciendo yo? y eso hace notarlo en los demas..?
Gracias Sr. Gandhi
y muchas gracias a usted Sr. Coelho por recordarnoslo! Bendiciones para uste y su familia!
that is true…every person need to let themselves into such experiences…a kind of experimentation within us…a kind of testing of hypothesis what we have learnt…that only can merge our prayers and activities to make activities as prayers / wishes….
we need Guru and Sishya not Guru and followers…
I admire you y our thoughts..just like one of the Guru’s .. in the world…i would like to be a Sishya than a follower..
Love
You can’t be enough reminded of these virtues. Don’t stop Paulo.
In these kind of days I am especially being reminded that action can be worth more than just preaching. In fact, is action actually so much different to preaching?
Action is preaching in motion.
With love,
Yilmaz
Not my favorite order but pretty good selection. Thank you Paulo.
We have to be aware when changing yourself that others do not have to change. You have to except them for who they are. That is hard to do and except.
how i wish i could apply this fundamentals in my life….i’m always inspired by what you are writing and your wisdom mr.coelho….
Thank you for the such nice post sir,
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
May these light of wisdom spread all over the world !
love and grattitude !
peace !!!
saluteeeee !!
Thank you for the such nice post sir,
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
May these light of wisdom apread all over the world !
love and grattitude !
peace !!!
saluteeeee !!
Awsome !!! :)
What a saint ! So wise……
Father of a Nation growing into Father of the Universe…
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Thankyou!
8. Goodness.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”
The essence of Gandhi lives on. A living example of Aesop’s Fable about The North Wind and the Sun. When the sun shines, a man will remove his coat but in chilly winds, he clings.
With Love and Gratitude,
Thankyou Gandhi,
Jane
….if only more people in this world could and would embrace these words of wisdom…x
heard somewhere “its simple to be happy but its difficult to be simple”
the 10 fundamentals can led to harmonious and simple life but it really needs dedication and sincerity to make them run our life…
Great quotes indeed, Thank you so much dear Paulo.
Do you know Meher Baba? He is a great Indian spiritual master, he has wonderful ideas on spirituality, I think people will love his quotes too:
1.The only Real Existence is that of the One and only God Who is the Self in every (finite) self.
2.The only Real Love is the Love for this Infinity (God), which arouses an intense longing to see, know and become one with its Truth (God).
3.The only Real Sacrifice is that in which, in pursuance of this Love, all things—body, mind, position, welfare and even life itself—are sacrificed.
4.The only Real Renunciation is that which abandons, even in the midst of worldly duties, all selfish thoughts and desires.
5.The only Real Knowledge is the Knowledge that God is the inner dweller in good people and in so-called bad, in saint and in so-called sinner. This Knowledge requires you to help all equally as circumstances demand without expectation of reward, and when compelled to take part in a dispute, to act without the slightest trace of enmity or hatred; to try to make
others happy with brotherly or sisterly feeling for each one; and to harm no one in thought, word or deed, not even those who harm you.
6.The only Real Control is the discipline of the senses to abstain from indulgence in low desires, which alone ensures absolute purity of character.
7.The only Real Surrender is that in which poise is undisturbed by any adverse circumstance, and the individual, amidst every kind of hardship, is resigned with perfect calm to the will of God.
Paulo,
Is there a chance that you do a post on your favourite blogs? It would be very interesting to see what are some of the most informative sites out there.
Kind regards,
Bill
Thank you for posting this blog.
I manage a small team where I work and when I started at the company my team complained about other people in the organisation, when they themselves were not perfect, and I quoted Gandhi, suggesting that they ‘be the change they wanted to see in the world’. I was new and they looked at me strangely.
Then later I heard one of them mocking me and quoting Gandhi’s line as if it were mine. I revealed that they were Gandhi’s words and gave them another example of his genius – ‘first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win’. It amazed me how quickly they went from ignorance to me winning, but this is not my win it is Gandhi’s and the universe’s.
Thank you for posting this blog.
I manage a small team where I work and when I started at the company my team complained about other people in the organisation, when they themselves were not perfect, and I quoted Gandhi, suggesting that they ‘be the change they wanted to see in the world’. I was new and they looked at me strangely.
Then later I heard one of them mocking me and quoting Gandhi’s line as if it were mine. I revealed that they were Gandhi’s words and gave them another example of his genius – ‘first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win’. It amazed me how quickly they went from ignorance to me winning, but this is not my win it is Gandhi’s and the universe’s.
Mi inchino di fronte a chi ha saputo rendere vita pensieri mirabili
Gandhi’s principles have never been portrayed better than this.loved it!
good stuff
10 Development; I believe what is meant is that you change and grow, your belief system also changes as you grow.. You may not believe in the same things as you have your beliefs disproven..
Thank you for sharing this with us dear Paulo,
Is it possible that I re-post this?
Love,
Farzaneh.
Pessoas como Gandhi me fazem pensar q estou lendo sobre alguém q viveu há mtos seculos, uma lenda.
Mas não, ele é do nosso século.
É possível crer na paz, em um mundo melhor. Viva Gandhi!
Obrigada por postar.
S2
It really inspires me and gives more than values of RICH-STONE to enlight up life .
I love the present moment…I always look into the future that I forget the fact that the present is what makes my future.
Hay tantos medios para purificar los pensamientos y tan poca voluntad… o disciplina o ambas. Creo que he estado un poco desganada en ésto.
Wat a thought…It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err…It is so unwise to be so confident of one’s own wisdom only-Isn’t Everyone is human here?
wow..
after a very long time, I happen to read something on which I can reflect on with my own experiences of life. All the 10 points are well said with a definite depth to them, only the one who has experienced them, can recognize their worth..
Thanks paulo.. for sharing this with us on facebook..
Gandhiji the man who taught the world…..It is not the (hate/war) but (smile/peace) that will win the world…..
Life is change, persist, truth, action, everthing!!! Is about the present :) Life is beatiful… a super nice gift :D
Gandhi is the true philosopher king. There is a story about him which I love.
Gandhi decided to go to a faraway place called Dandi and make ‘salt.’ Nehru was amused. What was the big deal? He gave in out of sheer affection. A whole bunch of them marched up to Dandi beach. Gandhi picked up a handful of salt and said something like “we don’t need to go to England to buy salt’. In Nehru’s words, ‘suddenly, ‘salt’ became a magic word that mesmerized the whole country!
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