His Own Mission

181. I have not conceived my mission to be that of a knight-errant wandering everywhere to deliver people from difficult situations. My humble occupation has been to show people how they can solve their own difficulties. –H, 28-6-42, 201.

182. My work will be finished if I succeed in carrying conviction to the human family, that every man or woman, however weak in body, is the guardian of his or her self-respect and liberty. This defense avails,though the whole world may be against the individual resister. - HS, 6-8-44,

Why Politics?

184. If I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircle us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries. I wish therefore to wrestle with the snake.

 –YI, 12-5-20, Tagore, 1069.

185. My work of social reform was in no way less or subordinate to political work. The fact is, that when I saw that to a certain extent my social work would be impossible without the help of p9olitical work, I took to the latter and only to the extent that it helped the former. I must therefore confess that work so social reform or self-purification of this nature is a hundred times dearer to me than what is called purely political work.

–YI, 6-8-31, 203.

186. My life is oneindivisible whole, and all my activities run into one another, and they all have their rise in my insatiable love of mankind.

–H, 2-3-34, 24.