Quote Of The Day By Mahatma Gandhi: 'Freedom Is Not Worth Having If It Does Not...'

How did Mahatma Gandhi get his name? Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, his followers called him "Mahatma," which means "the great-souled one." This was a perfect reflection of how people viewed him then and still view him today. Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, India. He kicked off adulthood studying law in London, England and ultimately went to South Africa to practice law. He suffered severe, sometimes violent discrimination there, which affected his way of thinking and inspired his commitment to civil disobedience and nonviolent protest. He continued with his activism when he returned to India in 1914.

Gandhi gained a massive following as he fought for India's independence from the British Empire. Peace was the ultimate goal that Gandhi was always working toward. His philosophy revolved around Satya, which means "truth," and Ahimsa, which means "nonviolence" and "compassion." How he spoke about these ideas has stood the test of time. And that's why Gandhi's words about freedom are today's quote of the day.

Mahatma Gandhi once wrote, "Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right." He shared this statement in his weekly journal "Young India" in 1931. He used this journal to express his thoughts on resisting the British government. This quote is a reflection of his view that the government shouldn't curtail the freedom of citizens to make choices and forge their own unique paths.

If you don't have the freedom to make mistakes, then you don't have true freedom. The ability to explore and try things, even if they don't work out, is an innate part of being free. Lacking this ability hampers growth and makes it more difficult for people to learn and reach their potential.

Mahatma Gandhi expressed his inability to understand the motivations of authoritarian leaders who fought to rob citizens of the option to make their own choices and take their own risks. Gandhi was against the government stripping its citizens of freedom. To him, this meant that everyone has the ability to choose a different path even if said path leads to missteps.

For many of us, we live in a time when it often feels like our freedom is being encroached upon. This is something Gandhi passionately fought against during his time, and now would be no different. To Gandhi, making mistakes and decisions is how we all learn, and learning is a right we all have and should give up to no one.

• "We but mirror the world. ... If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change."
• "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed."
• "If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children; and if they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won't have to struggle, we won't have to pass fruitless idle resolutions."