17 quotes from Mahatma Gandhi to inspire entrepreneurs

Malavika Velayanikal · 1 Oct 2015 · 3 min read
17 quotes from Mahatma Gandhi to inspire entrepreneurs

Today is the 146th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – known as Mahatma (great soul) Gandhi all over the world, or simply Bapu in India, where he is revered by many as the Father of the Nation.

Gandhi is an inspiration in multiple dimensions. His civil disobedience movement against the British rulers in India inspired Martin Luther King in America to adopt passive resistance against a strong authority to put it in a morally unsustainable position. His back-to-the-basics economic advice was before its time because it anticipated the excesses of capitalism. But most of all, his simplicity, humility, and humanism coupled with an iron-willed determination to overcome all odds serve as an inspiration to today’s entrepreneurs.

Here are a few of his most inspiring quotes:

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

We may stumble and fall but shall rise again; it should be enough if we did not run away from the battle.

I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people.

A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

Truth can never damage a cause that is just.

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.

Those who know how to think need no teachers.

An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.

You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.


Malavika Velayanika