World Book Day

 The Book of the Day: Celebrating 100 Years of Gandhi’s ‘Experiments with Truth’

On this World Book Day, the Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and Research Centre for Gandhian Studies of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan is proud to highlight a literary pillar: Mahatma Gandhi’s seminal writing, An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

This year marks a historic milestone—the 100th anniversary of the book’s first serialization, which began on November 29, 1925. To celebrate, we have selected 25 "Quotable Quotes" that track the Mahatma's journey. These excerpts begin with the formative reflections of a young student and conclude with his profound realizations as a true Mahatma.

The Formative Years: Building the Foundation

In his early chapters, Gandhi explores school life, where he first learned that honesty is the bedrock of character.

1. On Childhood Integrity: "I do not remember having ever told a lie... either to my teachers or to my school-mates."
2. On Moral Inspiration: "Why should not all be truthful like Harishchandra?"
3. On Internal Discipline: "Renunciation of objects, without the renunciation of desires, is short-lived."
4. On Divine Protection: "God ultimately saves him whose motive is pure."
5. On Holistic Education: "Children should first be taught the art of drawing before learning how to write."
6. On Friendship: "True friendship is an identity of souls rarely to be found in this world."
7. On Removing Doubt: "The canker of suspicion was rooted out only when I understood Ahimsa in all its bearings."
8. On Transformation: "When such Ahimsa becomes all-embracing it transforms everything it touches."
9. On True Penance: "A clean confession... is the purest type of repentance."
10. On Self-Discovery: "The term 'religion' I am using in its broadest sense, meaning thereby self-realization."
11. On Moral Foundations: "Morality is the basis of things, and truth is the substance of all morality."
12. On Vows: "A vow is a vow. It cannot be broken."
13. On the Power of Quiet: "Silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth."
14. On Thoughtful Speech: "A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech."
15. On Highest Faith: "That renunciation was the highest form of religion appealed to me greatly."
16. On the Reality of Prayer: "Prayer is no superstition; it is an act more real than eating or drinking."
17. On Inner Purity: "Prayer is an unfailing means of cleaning the heart of passions."
18. On True Character: "Great men never look at a person's exterior. They think of his heart."

The Struggle & Service: Leadership in South Africa

Applying the lessons of his youth to the fight for human rights.

19. On Sacrifice: "The experiment of my life has been a series of sacrifices... I have never regretted it."
20. On Public Service: "A public worker should not rely on the help of others, but should rely on his own strength."
21. On Deep Humility: "I must reduce myself to zero."
22. On Active Peace: "The law of Love is more efficacious than the law of destruction."

The Path of the Mahatma: Return to India

The final realization of the Spirit of Truth.

23. On Eternal Strength: "The Spirit of Truth is the most powerful thing in the world... It can move mountains."
24. On All-Embracing Love: "To see the Spirit of Truth face to face one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself."
25. On the Final Goal: "What I want to achieve... is self-realization, to see God face to face."

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