The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas by Mahatma Gandhi

The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas Reviews

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  ZaRi

  "For me the voice of God, of Conscience, of Truth or the Inner Voice or ‘the still small Voice’ mean one and the same thing. I saw no form. I have never tried, for I have always believed God to be without form. One who realizes God is freed from sin for ever.... But what I did hear was like a Voice from afar and yet quite near. It was as unmistakable as some human voice definitely speaking to me, and irresistible. I was not dreaming at the time I heard the Voice. The hearing of the Voice was preceded by a terrific struggle within me. Suddenly the Voice came upon me. I listened, made certain that it was the Voice, and the struggle ceased. I was calm. The determination was made accordingly, the date and the hour of the fast were fixed.... Could I give any further evidence that it was truly the Voice that I heard and that it was not an echo of my own heated imagination? I have no further evidence to convince the sceptic. He is free to say that it was all self-delusion or hallucination. It may well have been so. I can offer no proof to the contrary. But I can say this — that not the unanimous verdict of the whole world against me could shake me from the belief that what I heard was the true voice of God."
• 
  Zoe

  I didn't know anything about Gandhi before, so I learned a lot about his life and philosophies, both of which were fascinating. I found much of his writing inspiring. I think the only problem with this book is that the editing is not as strong as it should be -- there were times when passages were repeated, and sometimes the chosen passages felt choppy together. Other times, things got repetitive. Still, it's a huge amount of information to condense into a manageable book for the average reader, so I can't complain much.
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  Alex

  This is an interesting book on Gandhi's perspectives and life's work, but not as good as his autobiographical "My Experiments With the Truth", which was more of a narrative and flowed much better. This book felt pastiched and scattered, though I did learn some things I didn't get from the aforementioned other work (e.g., he was adamantly against being called "Mahatma"). Overall, it's a worthwhile read, but I'd get "My Experiments" first if you're just getting into Gandhi.
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  Dan Patel

  Too powerful to have a proper reaction after the first read. I'll return to this book later in the year and give it another go, and hopefully be able to grasp it better. Much of his ideas are beautifully undeniable, but reading a lot of what he says also raises questions, which Gandhi of course would have had no issue with. I'll be thinking about this into the unforeseeable future.
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  Preeti Syal

  This book made me realize how like-able Gandhi Ji really was! There may be things about him that I may not agree to or ideas that may not resonate with me but I guess that's OK. He was just like me or any other human grappling to get a hold of life - to find the perfect balance between carnal desires, obligations and one's true purpose in life or at least the pursuit of it.
  It helped me feel calmer in my pursuit of life's true meaning and make peace with the fact that the answers will appear, mostly with no dramatics and drum-rolls and that no one but the seeker will know when they do.
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  Emmanuel Vazquez

  I am just in awe that a man such as this existed. The mere thought that a man fasting would bring people together is mind blowing. I misunderstood Gandhi's non violence movement before this book. His faith in that fact that humanity is good is unparalleled to anything that I have read before. I like that he never thought he had the absolute truth but just trying his best to find it.
• 
  Todd

  The book is a condensed version of a biography of Gandhi and many of his teachings as well. Much of it is drawn from Gandhi's own autobiography or otherwise drawn from his own words. It is easy to read and generally well-written. Gandhi's life was in many respects a quest for truth, which in turn kept him humble, open to new ideas and the criticism of others. As he said, "the conviction that morality is the basis of things and that truth is the substance of all morality. Truth became my sole objective." (p 16)
  
  In addressing his approach to the apartheid of South Africa, "It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by the humiliation of their fellow beings." (p 44) Discrimination in South Africa heightened his awareness of the injustice of the untouchables in India. When trying to rally support in India against the discrimination directed at Indians in South Africa, Gandhi noted, "My experience has shown me that we win justice quickest by rendering justice to the other party," (p 48) a lesson all would do well to remember in all times. Further, "Let us...honor our opponents for the same honesty of purpose and patriotic motive that we claim for ourselves." (p 210) In spite of becoming a prominent leader through his struggle and receiving gifts, he renounced wealth, "a public worker should accept no costly gifts." (p 58)
  
  Yet Gandhi's virtues did not always mean a happy or easy life. He had a difficult relationship with his wife and in mastering his lust for her. He had trouble raising his own children and positively influencing the children of his brother, bringing to mind the lesson of
  Siddhartha.
  
  The key to the non-violent civil resistance for which Gandhi became so famous lay in his understanding of the citizen's relationship with the state, "[Whether] there is or there is not any law in force, the Government cannot exercise control over us without our cooperation...he who has mastered the art of obedience to law knows the art of disobedience to law." (p 85) Many of Gandhi's principles lead directly to the ideal of small, limited government accountable to the people, "The public should be the bank for all public institutions, which should not last a day longer than the public wish. An institution run with the interest of accumulated capital ceases to be amenable to public opinion and becomes autocratic and self-righteous." (p 95) "[A] Government that is ideal governs the least." (p 196) However, Gandhi did not hold a blind faith in democracy per se, "I consider [Passive Resistance] an infinitely superior force to that of the vote, which history shows has often been turned against the voters themselves." (p 109) "[Man] cannot be made good by law...to regulate these things by law...would be a remedy probably worse than the disease...The evolution of public opinion is at times a tardy process but it is the only effective one." (p 247) "[Government] control gives rise to fraud, suppression of truth, intensification of the black market and artificial scarcity. Above all, it unmans the people and deprives them of initiative, it undoes the teaching of self-help...it makes them spoon-fed." (p 359) He also repudiates modern civilization with its modern methods and urbanization, placing him in a difficult position as opposing the general progress of history. (p 118)
  
  Gandhi undermined the ends-justified-the-means arguments, saying ends and means were interchangeable, "[All] terrorism is bad whether put up in a good cause or bad. [Every] cause is good in the estimation of its champion." (p 151) "Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence...I object to violence because, when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent...Terrorism set up by reformers may be just as bad as Government terrorism, and it is often worse because it draws a certain amount of false sympathy." (p 201) "Whilst I have the greatest admiration for the self-denial and spirit of sacrifice of our [Communist] friends, I have never concealed the sharp difference between their method and mine...Their one aim is material progress...I want freedom for full expression...I look upon an increase of the power of the State with the greatest fear because, although while apparently doing good by minimizing exploitation, it does the greatest harm to mankind by destroying individuality which lies at the root of all progress." (p 304) Gandhi goes on to explode utilitarianism by conventional means.
  
  As for the power of non-violent resistance, "the moment we cease to support the Government it dies a natural death...[civil disobedience] becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or, which is the same thing, corrupt." (p 166) "Imprisonments...are courted because we consider it to be wrong to be free under a government we hold to be wholly bad...A Government that is evil has no room for good men and women except in its prisons." (p 176)
  
  Gandhi showed by his sometimes extreme example that he didn't just talk the talk but walked the walk, "where the leader himself becomes a servant, there are no rival claimants for leadership." (p 107) He also opposed charity and philanthropy, taking an attitude that people should have to work for their keep, "I must refuse to insult the naked by giving them clothes they do not need instead of giving them work which they sorely need. I will not commit the sin of becoming their patron..." (p 145) "We dare not support able-bodied members of the family--men or women--who will not work." (p 236) Ironically, he applauded American colleges and universities for being arranged to allow students to work their way through school and advised Indian education emulate it--a thing to remember in a day and age where many Americans crow about student debt and the high cost of education, rather than on focusing on more practical concerns.
  
  Gandhi was concerned about India's poverty, "Their [farmers and workers] poverty is India's curse and crime. Their prosperity alone can make India a fit country to live in." (p 149) Yet while he (rightly) defends the rights of Indians in South Africa to undersell their European-origin neighbors through thrift and hard work, he [wrongly} assails European industry for underselling inferior-quality Indian cloth with higher quality, cheaper textiles. He tries to foster a rural spinning revolution in India to revive an outmoded industry put to rest by the very modern methods he objects to. While he is right in being concerned with finding work for India's idle, and in seeing skilled labor (the use of spinning) as a means of improving a worker's value over an unskilled worker, his insistence on an already-obsolete method showed a lack of reflection. He should indeed have concerned himself with practical vocational training and motivating the rural population, seasonally idle, to apply themselves to something productive in their off-time. That said, strikes and minimum wages have proven ineffective as against improving job skills and the value of a worker's labor. Gandhi's understanding of morality was far and above his understanding of economics.
  
  Gandhi labored to bring peace and reconciliation among India's different communities. He had more success in trying to abolish the untouchables among the Hindus than he did in resolving Hindu-Muslim conflict; he sadly lived to see massive communal violence around the time of independence. He saved most of his criticism for his fellow Hindus, though he did make some insightful remarks toward his Muslim countrymen, "The sword is the emblem of Islam...The sword is too much in evidence among Mussalmans. It must be sheathed if Islam is to be what it means---peace." (p 211) Fischer quotes from British Prime Minister Attlee's investigation of Muslim-Hindu relations, noting that the division of India was fraught with danger and weaknesses. (p 351)
  
  For someone looking for a quick-and-dirty introduction to Gandhi's life and teaching, this makes a fine source. For someone looking for an in-depth look, this would make a fine starting point. I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone.
• 
  Jonathan-David Jackson

  An interesting book for someone new to Gandhi, but a strange and hard-to-read format. If you are after a biography of Gandhi, or just want to read things he wrote/spoke, I recommend you look for a different book.
  
  On each page there might be quotes of Gandhi from 5 or 6 different sources, sometimes from decades apart, in the wrong time order, and with chunks of paragraphs taken out. It's hard not to feel like there is context missing from things, or to wonder if the editor is putting words together to make Gandhi say something he didn't originally say.
  
  The preface by Eknath Easwaran was the best part of the book for me, and gave a wonderful overview of Gandhi's life and beliefs in just 15 pages.
• 
  January

  First, the bad... As much as I enjoyed the narrative quality of the way Ghandi's writings were organized and the historical background interspersed throughout, I can't help but feel the editor was a little too heavy handed here. There were too many brackets, too many ellipses. And paragraphs written sometimes as much as 25 years apart were presented side by side as if part of the same text. On a single page, there were as many as 5 different source texts, with varying audiences and political contexts, for instance a letter to a friend, a speech to the Congress, and a newspaper article.
  
  I think this format is great for a first-time reader of Ghandi who wants a little historical hand-holding and a basic idea of Ghandi's philosophies on various topics. If you're looking to understand how Ghandi's views changed through his nearly eight decades of life, you won't find it here. Nor will you be able to delve into his complicated relationships with various people and political groups, since the intended audience of his writings is only referenced in footnotes.
  
  That said, no amount of editing could diminish what this amazing man has to share with the world. I have never felt compelled to use the Goodreads update status before, but for this book, I used it over a dozen times to note excerpts that made an impact on me. Those quotes will say more than any review I can offer. The power of his humility and love and depth of his self-sacrifice for his fellow human being puts me in tears, puts me to shame, but most importantly inspires me to be a more humble, patient, loving person. Ghandi is the definition of what humanity should be.
• 
  Lily

  There are far too many ellipses in this book for my taste. The author/complier who was trying to convey Gandhi's ideas literally cobbled together quotes throughout the entire book. Having several sets of ellipses in just about every sentence was ridiculous. It leaves you wondering whether or not the quotes are being used in the proper context.
  
  The author did provide fastidious footnotes for the quotes, but I really wouldn't want to have to check that many sources by hand. The reason I purchased this book was that I wanted a good general overview of Gandhi's life and the ideas he espoused.
  
  Considering how fragmented and repetitive the book seemed, a better result could've been reached in essay format in about 10 pages.
• 
  +Chaz

  If you read this book thinking that it will be an easy guide about life, you'll be disappointed if you even finish. Gandhi's thought provoking questions about humility and its dysfunctional response to the universal lack of, “The rule of law,” sends a clear message that even the Neanderthals would be hard pressed not too understand. Fischer attempt’s to capture the essential ideas of a man far more advance in human thought than almost any person alive at that time. His simple ideals transcend the self imposed isolation of rational thought and lays it on the alter of life. Hard to understand at times, but the reader who peruse its understanding will not go away disappointed
• 
  Shari

  Gandhi's voluminous writings have been organized and condensed to read like an autobiography, and the numerous bracketed summaries and ellipses never let the reader forget that this book has been heavily edited.
  
  Nevertheless, Gandhi in Gandhi's own words is a fascinating subject. He is fearless in his self reflection and is surprisingly candid about such personal topics as his sex life with his wife, his failures as a father, and his disappointments in leading India's nonviolence movement. As thrilling as it is to read about Gandhi the spiritual leader, it is even more inspiring to read about Gandhi the man.
• 
  Megan

  Don't take my rating the wrong way. As I expected them to be the writings of Gandhi were overwhelming, and caused much introspection for me, but this particular compilation left much to be desired. The editing was poor, and it tended toward taking a paragraph here and there from different writings and pasting them together. I am always leery of writings pasted like this, often intentionally or unintentionally the original direction of the piece is cut away, leaving side notes or worse.
  
  Read Gandhi just not this compilation.
• 
  Chris Jensen

  This really is the essential Gandhi. Starting out I kind of had pre-set ideas of Gandhi and his beliefs. This was great to read in its entirety. You see Gandhi's views change over his life and I love how he does not hold everyone to his personal standards, but inspires them to reach farther, and to become better. His undying faith in the goodness of humankind and the power to reach him or her through love is amazing and inspiring.
• 
  Jessica

  This as an absolutely fantastic book. Fischer chronicles Gandhi's life in a way that is fascinating as a narrative, but not overly intrusive on his beliefs and teachings.
  
  I find myself returning to this book over and over... it is amazing and will change the way you think about life, politics, religion, and just about everything else.
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  Cara Patterson

  Great book. I knew very little about Ghandi before reading this. Found it at a library sale for 10 cents. Fischer takes you through Ghandi's life and philosophies using Ghandi's own words compiled from various writings.
  
  It's a great introduction to both Ghandi's life and his ideas. Pretty easy reading, too.
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  Bradley Farless

  This is an awesome resource for primary material (Gandhi's own writings). The book presents excerpts from multiple sources, both from his time in South Africa and in India, in what seems to be a mostly chronological order. The way it's written makes it easy to read, almost like a first person novel.
  
  In terms of the content itself, Gandhi was brilliant and way ahead of his time.
• 
  Cor

  Very disappointing. Difficult to read as the writer took Gandhi's quotes and then wrote a bit in between them giving some background. Would just as soon have read a biography online. Very dull. Gandhi's heart and soul were lost in translation. Had to make myself read it, which I very seldom make myself do.
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  Jessica

  It took me a few months to finish this. I'd read a bit & then need to process for a while. I really was impressed by Gandhi's humility and his simple, simple ideas for improving the state of the world around oneself. I will definitely be referencing this book again in my life.
• 
  Hunter Johnson

  A broad overview of Gandhi's life and philosophy, in his own words. Editor Louis Fischer intersperses the passages with brief introductions or segues, to help the reader understand the historical setting. Worthwhile.
• 
  Woodhen

  So much to take in - how does one even live a snippet of Gandhi's life? The more I read his letters, the more I realise how incredible he was and how much we need a Gandhi today, and how rare such people are.
  
  
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  Jory Houser

  Love reading Gandhi's writings. I read this and MLK's autobiography around the same time. It was good to read both at the same time. Two very purposeful nonviolent leaders who changed the world near the same time.
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  Mark

  It's hard to separate a "book review" from a general opinion of Gandhi's works and teachings. For what it was worth it was a great introduction to the man and his accomplishments. He's an excellent writer too.
• 
  Ulyses

  kenapa manusia seperti ini gak bisa lahir lagi ??
  karena memang dia tercipta untuk dikenang dan diteladani..