International Day of Non-Violence

Emulating Gandhi and His Inspiring Quotes

Changing the world is not as hard as you may think. Even small acts of kindness have the power to brighten someone’s day. This can lead to a chain reaction of good will towards others. The International Day of Nonviolence, which takes place on October 2, advocates peace through public awareness and educational activities. Mahatma Gandhi was born on this day in Porbandar, India. He studied law, was the main figure who helped achieve Indian independence and helped Indians gain civil rights. Here are inspirational quotes and some ways to emulate Gandhi in honor of International Day of Nonviolence.

Quotes to Guide You by Gandhi

As one of the most profound spiritual leaders in history, Gandhi’s quotes have inspired many activists, humanitarians and do-gooders in general to follow in his footsteps. His legendary quotes provide moral guidance, motivation and uplifting advice for the worst of times. Not enough can be said about the greatness of his universal wisdom which proves we should all try to imitate him. A good way to incorporate his words into your life may be to take one each day or week and use it as inspiration to live by.

“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.”

“Love is the Strongest Force the World Possesses.”

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

“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.”

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

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

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

“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

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

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

“An eye for an eye will only make the world blind.”

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

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

“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”

Practice Spirituality

Many people don’t stop to contemplate the moral and ethical consequences of their actions. We often drive a long commute each day only to arrive at a meaningless, but high-paying and prestigious job. We fight about small, inconsequential things with everyone from family members and friends to the grocery store clerk. The truth is that no matter who’s to blame at the moment, we all make mistakes. Humans are selfish animals who many times would rather take than give, but do we gain anything of real worth from this? If we’re lucky, we learn that money and prestige aren’t everything. Take time out of your day to examine yourself. Are power and superficial objects making you genuinely happy or are they driving you to anger? Possibly the best way to escape this mental prison is to become more spiritual. All it takes is one person changing their actions. This positively affects those around them.

A few of the best ways to become more spiritual are yoga, meditation and prayer. Instead of searching outside of yourself for happiness, look internally. Attending a church service or retreat has the added benefit of connecting with other like-minded individuals. In order to get away from a hectic life, some choose to visit a foreign country in order to examine themselves. This exposes them to the hardships differing peoples face in their everyday lives. If you’re unhappy, which many of us are, practicing spirituality will make you calmer and better able to make wiser decisions. Your quality of life will improve and become more meaningful and filled with purpose. Another great way to gain peace in your life is to simplify it. Perhaps you’d benefit from getting rid of unwanted items such as extra clothing or books. You could make life even easier and adopt the life of a minimalist. No matter what may trouble you, spirituality has the power to enhance your existence the right way.

Volunteer for Peace

There are plenty of ways to help others, whether it is as an individual, in the community or volunteering abroad. Thefamouspeople.com outlines Gandhi’s achievements: he helped the poor, stood up to racial discrimination in South Africa and led organized protests among many other things. You can be more like this extraordinary person by volunteering at a soup kitchen to feed the poor, giving nonperishable food items and other needed supplies to a homeless shelter or donating money to an organization you admire. Some exceptional organizations are The Hunger Project, Meals on Wheels and No Kid Hungry. Besides this, racial discrimination is still an issue around the world. By educating yourself, you can learn to accept others who appear different than you. The world is in dire need of better teachers too. Tutoring underprivileged youth or even prisoners is a great way to volunteer in your community or even another country. Similar to Gandhi, you can join a protest. Read books about activists and humanitarians to gain knowledge and inspiration. Through volunteer work or with a relevant degree you have the chance to gain the necessary skills to get a job with a nonprofit or start your own. With the right research, motivation and hard work, we all have an inner strength which we can utilize to change the world in a big way.

Learning to be more like Gandhi is possibly the best way to spend the International Day of Nonviolence. Continuing to live like him each day will lead to self-improvement, clarity and a better way of life. Let his selfless acts and good deeds inspire and motivate you to take action for the environment and nature.