All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections

by Mahatma Gandhi, Krishna Kripalani

Includes selections from Gandhi's writings and speeches which express his thoughts, beliefs, and techniques

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics, Spirituality, India, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organizing peasants to protest excessive land-taxes. A lifelong opponent of "communalism" (i.e. basing politics on religion) he reached out widely to all religious groups. He became a leader of Muslims protesting the declining status of the Caliphate. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from British domination. His spiritual teacher was the Jain philosopher/poet Shrimad Rajchandra.

Reviews

[Naele]

‏تنها کسی می تواند زندگی را نجات دهد که از زندگی خویش بگذرد. ⁧‫

[Amir · Rating 4 out of 5]

برای من مهاتما گاندی بین رهبران نهضت ها یه جای ویژه داشته، همیشه سلوک اخلاقی و رفتاری ش برام محترم بوده. همیشه دوستش خواهم داشت. خودش میگه : «خشم، اسیدی است که به ظرف خود بیشتر از چیزی که به‌آن پاشیده می‌شود، آسیب می‌رساند.»

و «شاخ پربار سر بر زمین می‌نهد و عظمت آن هم‌چنان در فروتنی او جلوه‌گر است.
»
و درباره ش انیشتین میگه: «نسل آینده به سختی باور خواهد کرد که چگونه انسانی مرکب از پوست و استخوان، جهان را تغییر داد.
«

[Romuald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religions, as well as various philosophies and ideologies, can lead to actions of good deads, development of moral code with fair principles, and care for others. But same religions and ideologies can also be used both to justify actions not compatible with compassion for others, and to increase differences between different groups of people based on their gender, social status, sexual orientation, etc. The latter aspect is too often seen in many religious fundamentalist groups nowadays, which is sad, as it undermines the democratic process in many countries and takes away the freedoms from groups and individuals who do not abide by the same principles.

Gandhi was deeply religious. But he used his belief in God to advance the democratic values, believing in equality and value of all people, creating (or, rather, expanding on Tolstoy’s philosophy) a non-violence method - probably one of the most important tools of advanced civilization in human history - in the process. And despite that huge religious gap between him, as a teller, and me, as a reader, I find myself being completely synched with his wolrdview. Yes, his teachings are inspiring, and his words are basically a definition of wisdom, but what I relate mostly to is his actions. Too many religious groups nowadays claim many things - or refer to texts in holy scripts - that might sound reasonable to many, but then the atrocious actions with disregard for human life and freedoms nullify everything, and one can only wonder: how did we get here? How did we end up in a world of misogynistic, patriarchal principles, ruled by not the wisest but by the loudest?

Gandhi inspires - with actions and words. His actions are louder than words - but his words are wisdom that is equally contemporaneous now as it was a century ago.

Below are some quotes from the book which either resonated with me a lot, or gave a nutshell-explanation of Gandhi’s major standpoints:

“To me God is Truth and Love; God is ethics and morality”

“Indeed religion should pervade every one of our actions. Here religion does not mean sectarianism. It means a belief in ordered moral government of the universe. It is not less real because it is unseen. This religion transcends Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc. It does not supersede them. It harmonizes them and gives them reality.”

“Religions are different roads converging to the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goal? In reality, there are as many religions as there are individuals.”

“In a sense, even today there is one fundamental religion in the world. But there is no such thing as a straight line in nature. Religion is one tree with many branches. As branches, you may say religions are many, but as tree, religion is only one.”

“Untouchability may be considered to be an ancient tradition, the institution of child widowhood and child marriage may be considered to be an ancient tradition, and even so many an ancient horrible belief and superstitious practice. I would sweep them out of existence if I had the power. ”

“We often confuse spiritual knowledge with spiritual attainment. Spirituality is not a matter of knowing scriptures and engaging in philosophical discussions. It is a matter of heart culture, of unmeasurable strength.”

“A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above that level, it becomes a hindrance instead of a help. Therefore the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare.”

“And why is there all this morbid anxiety about female purity? Have women any say in the matter of male purity? We hear nothing of women’s anxiety about men’s chastity. Why should men arrogate to themselves the right to regulate female purity?”

“I have never made a fetish of consistency. I am a votary of Truth and I must say what I feel and think at a given moment on the question, without regard to what I may have said before on it…. As my vision gets clearer, my views must grow clearer with daily practice. Where I have deliberately altered an opinion, the change should be obvious. Only a careful eye would notice a gradual and imperceptible evolution.”

[Rinda Rinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of excerpts spoken or written by Gandhi, split into chapters, divided by individual topics such as nonviolence, religion, brotherhood, women in society, etc.

Some parts are a bit repetitive and I did not really like how the excerpts were not sequential. They'd quote a passage from a speech Gandhi gave from the late '50s then the next one would be from the early '40s. The underlining message may be similar, but Gandhi was as human as the next and his views, ideals and even his psyche shifted and evolved as he aged. If you want to get a sense of the evolution of Gandhi and his teachings, this is not the book for you. If you want a collection of some well put together passages, this does the trick

[Brandon Fryman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book and practice the things this great man experienced. I like that he was so humble and told us readers who he studied. I felt, when reading this, that the many things he talked about I do or felt. He put it into words for me and gave me something to strive towards.

[ZaRi · Rating 4 out of 5]

بعضی گمان می کنند که وقتی می بینیم چه چیز درست است آن را انجام می دهیم در حالی که چنین نیست. اغلب حتی هنگامی که می دانیم چه چیز درست است خود به خود راه راست را انتخاب نمی کنیم، بلکه "در برابر فشار تمایلات نیرومند خود مغلوب می شویم" و به کار نادرست می پردازیم و به نوری که در درونمان می تابد خیانت می ورزیم.
بنا بر نظریه های هندو "در حالت کنونی خویش، ما فقط نیمه انسان هستیم. پستی های ما هنوز حیوانی هستند."
تنها با پیروزی محبت بر غرایز پست ماست که بخش حیوانی وجودمان کشته می شود. با جریانی مداوم از تلاشها و خطاها و با تسلط با گامهای دردناک و دشوار در راه تکامل پیش می رود.

[novia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(versi bahasa indonesia-nya..) menarik.

[Crisperian]

Good

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little bit of this, a little bit of that and there we have it, the Gandhi “soup”. Too much repetition and the fact that the excerpts from Gandhi’s several books did not have cohesion even made me skim on the last half of the book.

What I did like was that Gandhi speaks his mind out and he does so in a very simple and clear manner. It is really easy to understand his message. Definitely will get myself his own books.

[Frightful_elk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of quotes and extracts from the main writings of Gandhi. As such it serves as an excellent introduction to his ideas and practices, there are many beautiful and inspiring quotes, some that hint at a closed mind and a more human and flawed character than the one held by popular imagination. Overall I would recommend it, it is organised into the main themes of his teaching, so you can build up an idea of his opinions in each chapter, unfortunately, due to the many sources this can lead to a fair bit of repetition in the quotes.
Recommended.

[Ehsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ابیاتی از کتاب همه مردم برابرند اثر مهاتما گاندی


من به کسانی که از مذهب خود با دیگران سخن می گویند و تبلیغ میکنند، مخصوصاً وقتی منظورشان این است که آنها را به دین خود در آورند، هیچ اعتقادی ندارم. دین و مذهب در گفتار نیست بلکه با کردار است و دراین صورت عمل هرکس خود عامل تبلیغ خواهد بود.


در حقیقت تنها خداوند از قلب اشخاص خبر دارد و به این جهت مطمئن ترین راه آنست که هیچ شخصی، چه زنده و چه مرده مورد ستایش قرار نگیرد و  فقط کمال الهی که همان حقیقت است مورد ستایش واقع شود.

[Rosa Ramôa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A não violência é a maior força que a humanidade tem à sua disposição.É mais poderosa do que a arma mais destrutiva que o Homem alguma vez inventou.A resistência passiva é uma espada com múltiplas virtudes.Sem fazer correr uma gota de sangue,obtém resultados extraordinários (...).A nossa não cooperação não se dirige nem aos ingleses nem ao Ocidente,mas ao sistema que os ingleses nos impuseram e à civilização materialista que encoraja a cobiça e a exploração dos mais fracos".

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Gandhi's a lot less absolute about certain things like brahmacharya (celibacy) than I thought he would be. Although he would prefer a totally non-violent, pure, moral society, he comments that absolute abstinence from the world's temptations isn't easy for everyone. Gandhi unpacks a very compelling argument for non-violent non-cooperation.Very intriguing read.

[Andrea Bovino · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Se amiamo coloro che ci amano, questa non è non violenza. Non violenza è amare coloro che ci odiano".
Pensieri sparsi della Grande Anima che aprono il cuore e fanno riflettere su come sarebbe semplice vivere in questo mondo. Un altro di quei libri che sono tanto semplici quanto illuminanti.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this many times and always enjoy it!

[Gilang Permana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebuah pemikiran yang menarik dari Gandhi terutama tentang menjadi sosok manusia yang seutuhnya dengan menganut paham Ahimsa

[Glen Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

True is non violence.

[Maurizio Manco · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Un errore non diventa verità perché se ne moltiplica la diffusione, né la verità diventa errore perché nessuno la vede."

[Jiyon Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If someone were to shoot me in the belief that he was getting rid of a rascal, he would kill not the real Gandhi, but the one that appeared to him a rascal.”

I found this to be the most haunting line in this selection of autobiographical musings and reflections by Gandhi. The quotation is potent not merely for its anticipation of Nathuram Godse’s fateful decision, but more broadly in the way it addresses how our cynical society today has begun to treat Gandhi.

I strongly believe that symbols—good and bad—are necessary for societies to sustain themselves. For India and for the world, Gandhi persisted as one such symbol for many decades. He was evidently uncomfortable with this truth in private, not just expressing his concern that someone who viewed him as a symbol of evil could gun him down someday, but also frequently conveying a discomfort with the label of “Mahatma” (great soul) that forever followed him around. And yet he was extremely effective in leveraging his symbolic status to lead a movement, negotiate with an Empire, and ultimately will a nation-state into being.

Today there is an obsession with deconstructing the Gandhi that symbolized nonviolence, morality, and truth, and instead view him as something else. For a certain type of left-wing purist he is framed in many unsavory terms—as an obstructor of true revolution, a collaborator with colonists, a casteist, perhaps a racist or even a pervert. For India’s Hindutva right wing, he is some other kind of evil; an appeaser of hostile minorities, at best a naive idealist who advanced a weak infrastructure for a nation, and at worst a malicious collaborator who divided the subcontinent and ruined the possibility of an Akhand Bharat.

Such sweeping takedowns of Gandhi continue to be a source of great irritation for me, and not merely because many of these supposed sins are greatly exaggerated (or even complete bakwaas). I think an excessive focus on his failings—not in the interest of an honest, objective telling of history (in the fashion of a Ramachandra Guha), but instead a critique that pushes forward a political agenda painting him as a hypocritical figure with a propagandized role in history—is having deeply harmful consequences on Indian and global politics today. I think a great source of strife in the present are mainstream political movements that are no longer interested in advancing nonviolence and morality as central causes. It is my view that these tenets of Gandhi’s philosophy, if consistently applied by governments and the public they govern, will build a better world.

At the same time, I am uninterested in hagiography. Gandhi was not some kind of Hindu saint, as he used to be painted in the West (and, to be fair, he was often deified in an even more extreme manner in India). The fact that he was not a saint nor a god does not make him representative of evil as many today claim. No, he was not a saint—he was a human being who spent the greater part of his life aspiring to be good, and it is far more powerful and interesting to view him as such. If we see him as a human and not a saint, then Gandhi transforms from the mysterious, mystical force advocating a naive and uncompromising view of the world, and instead a more accurate portrayal comes into shape: he was a political philosopher whose ideas were based on rationality, extended experimentation, and intense personal commitment.

Gandhi, when described in his own words, lets you see him as both the man and the symbol. They are equally important. Both compose “the real Gandhi.” We must still read his words today, and not let him fade into the void of cancellation. And perhaps, if we keep his ideas alive, the world he advocated—a peaceful one, where ethical governance reigns—will start to emerge again.

To end on his words: “After I am gone, no single person will be able completely to represent me. But a little bit of me will live in many of you. If each puts the cause first and himself last, the vaccum will to a large extent be filled.”

[jeeayore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jujur ngebosenin. Aku ga pernah skim bacaan krn suka menelaah setiap kata, ini adalah buku pertama yg aku skim dan sebanyak itu WKWKWK.

Membosankan krn terjemahannya tidak menarik, kalimat repetitif, banyak sekali pengulangan cerita. Ya mungkin krn Gandhi mau mempertegas bahwa beliau penganut ahimsa, pantang kekerasan, dan hidup utk mencari kebenaran, bahwa kebenaran adalah tuhan.

Bagi Gandhi, wanita itu harusnya di rumah ngurusin anak tp tidak untuk dikasari dan dianggap lemah. Bagi Gandhi pendidikan itu seharusnya mengenai keterampilan yang bisa dipergunakan, sex education, sains, dan matematika. Sebaliknya pendidikan kesusatraan, baca tulis, aksara, bahasa asing, itu tidak penting dan tidak diperlukan. Hanya membuang waktu dan menggerus nasionalisme dan cinta tanah air. Tentu aku tidak sepakat.

Terlepas banyaknya hal yg aku ga setuju di
bukunya Gandhi ini. Ya mungkin krn udah ga relevan di zaman sekarang, toh buah pemikiran dari perang dunia I. Atau karena aku bkn org India jadi ga tau bagaimana realita lapangan dan kebutuhan mereka apa. Atau emang otak dan bathinku ga nyampe aja.
Paragraf mengenai bagaimana demokrasi seharusnya bukan mewakili suara mayoritas namun utk menjamin kemaslahatan perorangan cukup menarik utk membuat aku berpikir dan mencari tau lebih jauh cara pandang berdemokrasi. Kebiasaan di Indo itu kita memutuskan sesuatu berdasarkan suara terbanyak (mayoritas). Keliatan sih hasilnya pas pemilu atau bbrp kebijakan yg 'nyeleneh'.
Aku juga menikmati bab Agama dan Kebenaran!
Benar benar membuka perspektif baru ttg Hindu dan bikin aku tertarik utk baca Bhagavad Gita.

[Laçin Tutalar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gandi'nin özyaşamöyküsü kısmı bir harika olmakla birlikte geri kalanı tekrarlar, lafı uzatmalar ve döneminin önyargılarını da taşıyor. Biraz bunalttığını düşündüm, çünkü bu ahlaki değerlendirme tekrarları bugünlerde beni zaten yoruyordu; özellikle ahimsa/ şiddetsizlik /nonviolence kısmını anlatırken düşüncesinin yeni geliştiği dönemden bir yazı olduğunu düşündüm. Halbuki ne temel bir şey. Çeviride tarihler verilebilirdi, bir de daha dikkatli davranılabilirdi. Öztürkçe kelimeler kullanayım derken cümlenin ucu uçmuş gitmiş, yazım hataları atlanmış.

Çok etkileyici dönemeçlerin arasına yorucu tekrarlar konulmuş gibi. Bir hukukçu gibi değil, bir din bilgininin karman çorman sohbetini andıran tarafları var. Ama Gandi'nin siyaset felsefesini anlamak için iyi bir adım yine de. Bazı ilkeleri hatırda tutmaya yarıyor, mesela Göze göz dişe diş politikası hiçbir zaman başarılı olmadı' veya 'Terimin gerçek anlamında uygarlık, istekleri çoğaltmaya değil onları düşüne taşına, gönüllüce azaltmaya bağlı...' Bunları okurken bir duraksama geliyor, 2000'leri Gandi üzerinden düşünme şansı...

[Ivan Savić · Rating 3 out of 5]

Početni deo knjige je biografski. Drugi deo je o njegovom učenju. I na kraju knjige je nekoliko njegova pisama. Najzanimljivije mi je što šalje pismo i Hitleru da prekine rat. Najveći deo knjige je o njegovim učenjima i pogledima na svet. Gandi piše dosta filozofski, da tako kažem. Puno se ponavlja i pomalo je nejasan i teže se prati. Bar je meni tako. Knjiga je ustvari sastavljena iz drugih njegovih spisa i knjiga pa možda i to malo narušava kontinuitet. Sa pola njegovih shvatanja se ne bih složio. U principu zanimljivo je da se pročita, da se malo bolje upozna Gandi, njegova razmišljanja i život.

[Daniela Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro tipo ensayo que busca introducirte en temas relevantes del diario vivir, a través de una visión apasionada de la verdad y un profundo respeto por la vida y el amor a la humanidad.

En este libro encontré que el sentido de nuestra existencia radica en un apoyo incondicional con el prójimo y un profundo amor y respeto a las raíces propias.

Nos habla sobre la no posesión y sobre un Dios que habita únicamente en el corazón de la humanidad. Plantea que el unico medio de encuentro con Dios es salir y buscarlo en su creación, en nosotros, entre nosotros.

[Ryan Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you ask me what the book was like ?
well, it's like you're swimming to someone mind, beautifull mind, Gandhi's mind that always fight for grater goods, with ni intention to harm anyone but only his own mind.
somehow, I envy for those who lived and have a one or two talks with Gandhi or seeing him on the face.
Yes, just like Obama, i would like to hava an afternoon tea or Morning coffe chat with Gandhi

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a personal reference for me. I continuously pop it open, pick a page and read for an indeterminate amount of time. Most of the “reflections” amazingly somehow fit into whatever challenge I am facing. It challenges to make me think. It makes me to analyze my personal feelings. It forces to to look inside myself and how I interact and accept those different from myself.

[Mahesh K Adewar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I read something by him, My respect and admiration simply increase even more than before.

His ideas seems many times impractical but that the beauty of ideas. And he practiced many of the things that he believed in.

[Fouad · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the components of Non-Violence philosophy is to accept death peacefully, which stands face to face with the most basic endowment human process which is the survival instinct. It takes transcending the human nature as Neitzche says in order to be the person you are meant to be

[Hakkı Sayın · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yarıda bıraktım. Gandhi'nin kişisel fikirlerine saygım azaldı ya.. keşke okumasaydım.

[Robert Lei]

A collection of quotes from Gandhi's writings over his lifetime organized into sections provides great insight into the life, strife and aspirations of a great human.

[Kathya Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me aburrí en algunas partes, aunque en otras disfruté mucho leyéndolo...