“I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good, wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but each step upwards makes me feel stronger and fit for the next.”
Share this quote
Source: Young India, 17 November 1921 (also in CWMG); widely published two-sentence form.
About this quote
Growth here is measured in effort, not arrival. There's a quiet permission in admitting you keep missing the mark while still climbing — each stumble builds the strength for the next attempt, and falling short is not the same as giving up.
When to use it
- Someone quitting smoking who relapses but treats each fresh attempt as real progress
- A novelist reworking a draft that never feels done, improving with every pass
- A person practicing patience, losing their temper, and starting over the next morning