Mahatma Gandhi’s house and museum is located in Mumbai, India. He was born October 2, 1869, and died January 30, 1948, in Delhi, India. He is known as one of the world’s most transformative and inspirational people. Throughout his life, Gandhi was a fearless campaigner for the rights and dignity of all people, whose constant and unwavering promotion of non-violence as a tool to win over hearts and minds has forever left its mark on the world.

He died before I was born and I really knew very little about him but when I was in Mumbai, India I could not miss the opportunity to visit the museum of his house. The photos below are of the house where he lived and the museum is inside. The second photo is of the plaque in front of the house.

Visiting his house made an impression on me for two reasons.

First, he was not the same kind of leader that we have today. He lived the same economic lifestyle as the people that he was leading. He lived very modestly which is shown by the bed that he slept in and the cloths that he wore.

Second, he had a vision that he so strongly believed in that was willing to personally sacrifice so that he could improve the lives of others. Some of his vision were posted on the walls. Two of these visions are shown in the photos below.

If you are like me, you may know who Mahatma Gandhi was but not know some of the things that he said or believed so I want to share some of his famous quotes.

My favorite quotes of Mahatma Gandhi

• “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
• “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”
• “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
•  “Happiness is when: what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
• “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”
• “An ounce of practice is worth a thousand words.”
• “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
• “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
• “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
• “Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.”
•  “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
•  “If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
•  “Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.”
•  “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”
• “The future depends on what you do today.”
• “It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone.”
• “Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but to change ourselves.”
• “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.”
• “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”
• “Relationships are based on four principles: respect, understanding, acceptance and appreciation.”
• “Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful than bookish knowledge.”
• “If you want to change the world, start with yourself.”
• “Your action expresses your priorities.”
• “It is better to allow our lives to speak for us than our words.”
• “The path is the goal.”
• “A thousand candles can be lighted from the flame of one candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness can be spread without diminishing that of yourself.”
• “Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them – a desire, a dream, a vison.”
• “To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
• “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
•  “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
• “You don’t know who is important to you until you actually lose them.”
•  “You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.”
• “I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.”

Even though Mahatma Gandhi has been gone for almost 75 years, I believe that we as individuals can benefit from his lessons and our society would be much better if our leaders had attitudes like his.

Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat is a memorial cemetery in Delhi, India. The cemetery contains monuments to various Indian leaders at the site of their cremations. The best known is that of Mahatma Gandhi. His site is marked by a black marble slab with fresh flowers and an eternal flame burning.

When I visited there were small groups continually walking around the roped off site to respectfully visit Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.

The Dust on My Shoes

Prior to my visits to Mahatma Gandhi’s house/museum I knew very little about Mahatma Gandhi but visiting the museum gave me more insight about his life and his beliefs.

 The museum shows lots of details of his life, important events and collections of the words and actions that expressed his beliefs. The most memorable artifacts for me was reading a letter that he wrote to Adolf Hitler in July of 1939 appealing for him not to go to war and a second letter he wrote in 1940 appealing for him to stop the war.

Mahatma Gandhi’s words were truly powerful and his choice of lifestyle was equally powerful. He backed up his words by the life that he led.

Raj Ghat is a place of extreme calm in the middle of the busy city of Delhi, India. My visit to Raj Ghat impacted me because I was surprised to see so many people of all ages paying their respects to the life of Mahatma Gandhi even after so many years. I think this is a testimony to how much he was respected.

One of Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes was “Your action expresses your priorities”. This quote is proven by the actions of so many people coming to show their respect for him.

The life of Mahatma Gandhi should be an example for all of us. We should live our life in a way that reflects our priorities and beliefs. 

“Happiness is when: what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi