“The path is the goal.”
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Attribution note
No Gandhi primary exists; the line is flagged on Goodreads' 'misattributed to Gandhi' list and may derive from Louis Fischer's paraphrasing of Gandhi's philosophy. Proverbial (also echoes Buddhist/Zen usage). Treat as unsourced.
Likely origin: Widely credited to Gandhi with no primary source; explicitly listed among quotes misattributed to Gandhi. A close phrasing appears in biographer Louis Fischer's analysis, not attributed to Gandhi.
About this quote
Often credited to Gandhi, though no primary source backs it — a close phrasing turns up in biographer Louis Fischer's own analysis, not in Gandhi's words. The idea still lands: the journey is where the value lives, so how you travel matters as much as where you're trying to end up.
When to use it
- A runner who finds that the daily training, not the finish-line medal, is what actually changed him.
- A couple who realize the years of building a home together were the point, not some finished dream house.
- A student who discovers the habits of study outlast any single grade she was chasing.