“This belief in incarnation is a testimony of man’s lofty spiritual ambition. Man is not at peace with himself till he has become like unto God. The endeavour to reach this state is the supreme, the only ambition worth having. And this is self-realization. This self-realization is the subject of the Gita, as it is of all scriptures. But its author surely did not write it to establish that doctrine. The object of the Gita appears to me to be that of showing the most excellent way to attain self-realization.”
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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: The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi (Anasaktiyoga) - on incarnation and self-realization.
About this quote
Beneath every restless striving sits a deeper hunger: to become the fullest version of yourself. Naming that inner realization as the one ambition truly worth having reorders your priorities, treating growth of character as the main work and outward achievements as secondary to who you are actually becoming.
When to use it
- A high earner who notices the promotions never satisfy and starts measuring life by his own growth instead.
- A retiree who trades status-chasing for patient work on his temper and his calm.
- A student who chooses a path that stretches who she is over one that would only impress other people.