In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi displays an admirable dedication to morality and ethics—far more than most people can claim. But by no means is he perfect; he tells us how he learns from his own wrongdoing.
But from honesty to vegetarianism, from keeping vows to self-denial, these quotations reveal the depth of Gandhi's commitment to doing what he believes is right. After all, he thinks that morality is the basis of all things, including the experiments by which he lives his life.
Questions About Morality and Ethics
- What ethical mistakes does Gandhi admit to? How does he learn from those errors?
- What connections does Gandhi see between religion and morality and between morality and truth? Is one more important than the others? How do they relate to one another?
- What ethical principles of Gandhi's do you agree with? With which ones do you disagree? Why?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
People should learn self-denial to be fully moral.
It's not necessary to be ascetic to be a moral person.