“Ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for India's independence. In a violent struggle, a successful general has been often known to effect a military coup and to set up a dictatorship. But under the Congress scheme of things, essentially non-violent as it is, there can be no room for dictatorship. A non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country. I read Carlyle's French Revolution while I was in prison, and Pandit Jawaharlal has told me something about the Russian revolution. But it is my conviction that inasmuch as these struggles were fought with the weapon of violence they failed to realize the democratic ideal. In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today. Once you realize this you will forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of yourselves as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence. We cannot evoke the true spirit of sacrifice and valour, so long as we are not free. I know the British Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred.”
Share this quote
About this quote
How you fight decides what you become. A cause that seizes power by force tends to end in domination, while one that refuses coercion and personal gain can build something genuinely free. The method isn't a detail on the way to the goal — it shapes the goal, so shedding hatred matters as much as winning.
When to use it
- A protest group bans intimidation from its own ranks so it doesn't become the bullies it opposes.
- A founder who wins a boardroom fight shares authority instead of consolidating it for himself.
- Rival factions in a campaign drop their infighting to keep the shared goal from collapsing.

