Louis Fischer > Quotes

“A person may be smaller in success than in defeat; it depends on what he is trying to do”
― Louis Fischer, Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World

“Imperialism, like dictatorship sears the soul, degrades the spirit, and makes individuals small, the better to rule them. Fear and cowardice are its allies. Imperialism is government of other people, by other people, and for other people.
Colonial administration never is, and never can be successful. History has known no good colonisers. Every empire digs its own grave. Imperialism is a perpetual insult, for it assumes that the outsiders has the right to rule the insider who cannot rule themselves, it is thus arrogant nationalism and inevitably begets an opposing nationalism.”
― Louis Fischer, Life of Mahatma Gandhi

“At the root of innumerable wrongs in our civilization is the discrepancy between word, creed and deed. It is the weakness of churches, states, parties, and persons. It gives men and institutions split personalities.”
― Louis Fischer, Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World

“We live, he [Gandhi] felt, not in order to feed, clothe, shelter and pamper the body; we provide for the body in order to live. Life begins after the needs of the body have been met, yet how many people ruin life for the sake of rich living. The soul, alas, needs a temporary abode, but a clean mud hut will do as well as a palace, indeed better, for when the physical absorbs the lion's share of a man's effort the spirit languishes, life loses content, and discontent appears.”
― Louis Fischer, Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World