“There is only one desire in life which is good and the desire for the means to realise it is also good.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: From 'The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi' - likely Gandhi's own commentary rather than a rendered verse; not verbatim-confirmed.
About this quote
When you settle on a single aim that is genuinely worth wanting, the wish to find honest ways to reach it inherits that same worth. It dissolves the split between hungering for a goal and feeling guilty about the effort — fix on a clean end and the striving toward it needs no apology.
When to use it
- A nurse who wants patients to heal welcomes the long shifts and extra training that make it possible.
- Someone set on clearing a debt treats budgeting and side work as part of the same good aim, not a burden.
- A student after real understanding embraces the slow rereading it takes instead of resenting it.