“Man cannot live for more than a few minutes without air, but he can live for a few days without water. And in the absence of other food, he can subsist on water alone for many days. There is more than 70% of water in the composition of our food-stuffs, as in that of the human body. Even though water is so indispensable, we take hardly any pains to keep it pure. Perfectly pure water has a most beneficial effect on the system; hence doctors administer distilled water to their patients. One should drink water only when one feels thirsty, and even then only just enough to quench the thirst. There is no harm in drinking water during the meals or immediately afterwards. Of course, we should not wash the food down with water. If the food refuses to go down of itself, it means that either it has not been well prepared or the stomach is not in need of it. Our blood has in itself the power of destroying many of the poisonous elements that enter into it, but it has to be renewed and purified.”
Share this quote
Source: A Guide to Health (1921), Chapter IV 'Water'; genuine Gandhi health book.
About this quote
The body signals what it needs—thirst is the cue, and answering it plainly beats both neglect and overdoing it. Clean water matters as much as enough of it; we pipe it everywhere yet rarely guard its purity. Listening to the body's real request, rather than habit, keeps this simple thing working.
When to use it
- A runner drinks to thirst on a long route instead of forcing down a rigid hourly quota.
- A household installs a filter after realizing their tap water has started tasting off.
- Someone stops washing down every meal with soda and sips plain water only when actually thirsty.