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An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

by Mahatma Gandhi

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 24,319 ratings · 1,048 reviews

It is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my numerous experiments with truth, and as my life consists of nothing but those experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography.

...Identification with everything that lives is impossible without self-purification; without self-purification, the observanc ...more

Hardcover , 640 pages

Published 1948 by Navajivan Publishing House (Ahmedabad)

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Feb 28, 2015 Riku Sayuj rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites , philosophy , myth-religion , spiritual , r-r-rs , india , history-imperial , history , gandhi , india-history , review-poems

fundamentally changed my view of the world...

Oft In My Thought

Ah, how often I have sought in my days,

To emulate the great leaders, and be gently led,

By their virtuous actions and well-laid plans.

How often I charted the best courses to take

To reach those heights of thought and action;

And thought evermore of what best will portray

Their everlasting influence on this humble self,

That will make this world to be as they always saw,

In their lofty wishes and their fanciful dreams.

But all those thoughts, ...more

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Nov 01, 2007 Janet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a fascinating read. Gandhi's writing is oddly simple, even almast naive in places. He faithfully records small personal struggles, giving them the same wieght as major political battles. Gandhi's zeal and idealism comes across powerfully, as does his lifelong concern with self-discipline and purity ( bramacharya ).

I was especially interested in his evolving understanding of satyagraha and his increasingly strict vegetarianism. His ascetism increased in direct proportion to his growing po ...more

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Jun 26, 2013 طَيْف rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

وتحطمت الأسطورة!!!0

ما يلي هو وجهة نظر شخصية بحتة معرضة للنقص والقصور...مع احترامي لجميع وجهات النظر الأخرى

ما الذي كنت أعرفه عن غاندي قبل قراءة هذه السيرة؟؟وما الذي أضافته لي قراءتها؟؟؟

قرأت سابقا عن الظروف التي ظهر فيها غاندي في الهند، وعن الأسباب الحقيقية التي جعلت منه أسطورة الهند وروحها، وعن الأهداف التي مهدت لظهوره، وعن علاقته ببريطانيا وتعاونه معهم من خلال الحاكم البريطاني "ريدينج" لكسر شوكة المسلمين في الهند، من أجل ضمان تسلم الهندوس لمقاليد الحكم فيها...غاندي الذي دعا للرجوع إلى الحضارة ال وتحطمت الأسطورة!!!0

ما يلي هو وجهة نظر شخصية بحتة معرضة للنقص والقصور...مع احترامي لجميع وجهات النظر الأخرى

ما الذي كنت أعرفه عن غاندي قبل قراءة هذه السيرة؟؟وما الذي أضافته لي قراءتها؟؟؟

قرأت سابقا عن الظروف التي ظهر فيها غاندي في الهند، وعن الأسباب الحقيقية التي جعلت منه أسطورة الهند وروحها، وعن الأهداف التي مهدت لظهوره، وعن علاقته ببريطانيا وتعاونه معهم من خلال الحاكم البريطاني "ريدينج" لكسر شوكة المسلمين في الهند، من أجل ضمان تسلم الهندوس لمقاليد الحكم فيها...غاندي الذي دعا للرجوع إلى الحضارة الهندية حربا على الحضارة الإسلامية التي عاشت على أرض الهند أربعة عشر قرنا...وهو يمثل دورا مهما فيما سماه المقاومة السلمية أو اللاعنف

أما المبادئ التي ادعى أنه توصل إليها وتبناها فهي الدعوة للاعنف، ولمقاومة الظلم سلميا، وللاعتماد على الذات اقتصاديا، وللمعاناة الجسدية كوسيلة لتطهير الروح...وللعيش وفق نمط حياة بسيط يعتمد على الطعام النباتي...وللبحث الدائم عن الحقيقة

دعوني أكون على الأقل مثله باحثة عن الحقيقة وهو أقل ما تعلمني إياه هذه السيرة

أين تكمن الحقيقة؟؟

وجدت غاندي بناء على كلماته يتبنى مجموعة من الأفكار الغريبة...فبينما يدعي أنه لا يكتب سيرة ذاتية وإنما قصة بحث عن الحقيقة، لم أجد إلا سيرة ذاتية تقليدية بكثير من التفاصيل التي تبعث على الملل...وبقليل من التفاصيل المهمة عن توجهاته وأفكاره السياسية.

وعلى الرغم من ادعائه الدائم أن هدفه في الحياة الوصول لله، فلم يبذل جهدا في الممارسة الحقيقية لأي ديانة، بل يبتدع "الساتياجراها"!!0

وحين أراد تقديم نفسه كقدوة ومثل أخلاقي أعلى ونموذج هندوسي يمثل الديانة الهندوسية ومبادئها...ابتعد بالكثير من مبادئه عن الفطرة الإنسانية بل ناقضها...بدءا من علاقته بزوجته والتي تعد حكاية لوحدها، فهو يعتقد بأن الجنس يفسد الحب، ويتخذ كل القرارات نيابة عنها، ويحرمها من أبسط وسائل العيش المريحة في سبيل أمته ووطنه!!!!!!بس فهموني العلاقة بينهم!!!!!!!0

أو حتى تجاربه الغذائية المقتصرة على تناول الأطعمة النباتية، وتجاربه الطبية في المعالجة الذاتية التي لم تثبت كفاءتها واعتبرها من بين الحقائق التي اقتنع بجدواها!! وحتى تجاربه مع أبنائه في قضية تعليمهم...تراه يشيد بالخط الجيد وأثر التعليم فيه، مع إصراره على حرمان أبنائه من التعليم الرسمي...حتى قال عنه أحد أبنائه: "إنه الأب الأعظم للأمة الهندية ولكن أيضاً الأب الذي لم أكن أتمناه"...وقال له: "في مختبرك للتجارب لسوء الحظ أنا الحقيقة الوحيدة التي بدت خطأ"!!0

لو أردت أن أحكم على غاندي من خلال كلماته، فلن أقول إلا أنه إنسان يمنح الفقر تقديسا ويظهر مثالية عالية لا تتسق مع الواقع أو الطبيعة السليمة للبشر، ورغم ذلك يدعي امتلاكه للحقيقة وتوصله إليها

ولا في لحظة شعرت بتواضعه الحقيقي...بل بغطرسته وهو يلقي حقائقه علينا وكأنها تعليمات مقدسة، رأى أنها تستحق أن تتحول لقواعد حياتية في الـ "ساتياجراها"!!0

عذرا غاندي...ما استطعت إقناعي باقترابك في هذه السيرة من الحقيقة.
...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Fiya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intended for a very limited audience

My copy of the book had torn spine, small print, dog-eared cover and the quality of paper so inferior, that it set a new precedent for me -- but I shouldn't complain because a friend of mine had lent it to me.

Let me first clarify something about this book's genre. Gandhi says in the foreword that this book was a memoir of 'his experiments with truth', thus the subtitle; but he particularly says that this was not an autobiography. He gives his reasons for t Intended for a very limited audience

My copy of the book had torn spine, small print, dog-eared cover and the quality of paper so inferior, that it set a new precedent for me -- but I shouldn't complain because a friend of mine had lent it to me.

Let me first clarify something about this book's genre. Gandhi says in the foreword that this book was a memoir of 'his experiments with truth', thus the subtitle; but he particularly says that this was not an autobiography. He gives his reasons for this. First, he did not like this 'Western' genre: There was a general prejudice against West during his time. Second, he thought that the idea of a man writing his own life was conceited.

So you might ask, Is it not an autobiography? It is. It is a straight-forward, old-school autobiography that begins with birth and leads up to the moment the author is writing the book.

My own dislike for the book is rooted in the fact that I am not the audience Gandhi had in mind. In the book you realize that he wants to present himself as an ideal for the kids in India, particularly the Hindus, of that era. The reason I say this is that the book was originally published in Gandhi's native language and most of the book's content is about moral teachings. Moral from his perspective. His morality is deeply rooted in Indian culture and Hindu religion.

But some of his principles are plain weird. Here's an example. He doesn't fight (out of timidity I think because he started doing this quite early); he praises good handwriting; renounces tea (apparently, doctors then had evidence against it); praises unworthy teachers. Furthermore, he never quite justifies, or may be he didn't even understand, his superstitious nature.

There is nothing wrong, per say, with this approach. But, this mode of writing becomes trite: everything has ethical overtone. Most of what he writes is judged through the prism of right and wrong. And after a point, it just sounds stupid. We are taught from childhood to follow a rigid set of rules; parents have their own ideas of ethics, teachers theirs, and if you're affiliated with any religion then it's a whole new level of rules you have to follow. But as humans, we all have individuality: we live our unique lives. But not Gandhi. He chose to follow whatever his parents, teachers, or anyone he considered worthy enough to be placed on a peddle, tells him. He followed these rules to the T.

Honestly, if you want me to judge Gandhi from this book, I'll say he is like a lonely person who lacked self-esteem; someone without an iota of individuality. That, ofcourse, is the impression from the book. Now I know that Gandhi was more than this. But he had to appear an idealist.

About the English -- It was archaic, with structures and words that I could not help laugh at! The English could have been simpler, more direct and less cumbersome. It could have used Strunk and White.

These days the autobiography genre is written as creative non-fiction, and not as a linear chronology of life, as was the case with this book. So I can't complain about it being slightly boring. You know how it is: Starting from childhood all the way upto the moment you're penning the very book.

Now I know that some people will revere this book. This may be because they're the kind of audience Gandhi was writing for. I am not one of them. So I am critiquing this book from my perspective, which is what we always do, which is what anyone can do. Selling this translated edition to the world when its intended audience was a India of a particular epoch is a mistake. ...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Jeff Lanter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

After seeing the movie biopic, I knew I needed to find out more about Gandhi so I picked this up. Don't let the width of the book fool you, it isn't a thousand pages like it appears. The translation of the book is actually pretty good and it reads easily. For the most part, Gandhi spends time talking about the little details in his life before he became famous. That is sort of the opposite of what you would expect in an autobiography, but as he says, his life was well known by then. This may lea ...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Hajer Fahad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

أحب قراءة السيّر لأنها تمنحنا حياة آخرى و تجارب أكثر ,
و سيرة غاندي من أروع السير الحياتيه.

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Jul 23, 2011 Tyler Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-violence

Excuse the ramblings of a mind coping to understand...this really is a book review...of sorts.

Yesterday, a man in Oslo set off a bomb that killed seven people then went to a kid's camp and killed eighty four young people. The world is sickened. Why do these things happen? Details are still coming out. At first I heard an Islamic militant group had claimed responsibility. Now it seems that the killer may be an extreme anti-islamic; a christian fundamentalist. What is clear is that somehow he was Excuse the ramblings of a mind coping to understand...this really is a book review...of sorts.

Yesterday, a man in Oslo set off a bomb that killed seven people then went to a kid's camp and killed eighty four young people. The world is sickened. Why do these things happen? Details are still coming out. At first I heard an Islamic militant group had claimed responsibility. Now it seems that the killer may be an extreme anti-islamic; a christian fundamentalist. What is clear is that somehow he was able to justify his actions because human life was less valuable to him than his ideals.

Societies sometimes justify violence (war, torture, capital punishment...) by saying they are protecting certain ideals. When violence is justified on such large levels, it can not be too surprising when an individual finds ways to justify violence as well. It could be a single man in Oslo. It could be a million men who beat their wives and children.

Violence is violence. In its most extreme and violent manifestations, we can plainly see that it is senseless, but in its more commonplace variations it can be tolerated or ignored. It seems that to many of us there is some line between acceptable and unacceptable violence and maybe this is part of the problem; we can compartmentalize and label the violence we do not like as the work of the evil or insane.

Back in university I read this book by Gandhi. Those who think that they cannot defend or promote ideals without the use of violence are either ignorant or (more likely) lazy, because the non-violent path is much, much harder to walk than the violent one. Violence is easy. Revenge is natural. But Gandhi was able to lead an entire nation to freedom without bombing police stations. The writing of Gandhi is all about the individual having dignity and independence - that self respect comes from respecting others. Gandhi's writing is a roadmap to a better world. I think that those who have not read Gandhi have an overly simplified vision of the man; that he was simply a pacifist or an unrealistic dreamer. I know that's what I used to think. But he was primarily concerned with erasing social injustice; non-violence was simply the best means to his ends. The best and most difficult.

It is time for us to reject "by any means necessary" and revenge seeking and punishing and all the eye-for-an-eye bullshit. All this generally condoned social violence just seeps into individuals where it collects as pure hate.
...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Nawal Al-Qussyer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 104-books-in-2011-project

كتاب ضخم ان صح التعبير.. يحتوي علي تفاصيل دقيقة عن حياة المهاتما غاندي وسيرته الذاتية في حقل المحاماة وتجارب الدراسة في بريطانيا و العمل في جنوب افريقيا والبقية تأتي. بدت في البداية ممتعة، وممتعة جدا حتى أني تجاوزت المائة صفحة في مدة وجيزة، سرني أن أتعرف عن قرب على جزء من المجتمع الهندي وهم الهندوس وبعض عاداتهم في القرن الماضي..
الجزء الأول تحدث عن طفولته وصباه بشكل مركز ودقيق. وعن شعوره وبعض مغامراته.. ودراسته وزواجه المبكر جدا والذي أحززني كما أحزنه.. ومن ثم انطلاقه للحياة في بداية التجربة للد كتاب ضخم ان صح التعبير.. يحتوي علي تفاصيل دقيقة عن حياة المهاتما غاندي وسيرته الذاتية في حقل المحاماة وتجارب الدراسة في بريطانيا و العمل في جنوب افريقيا والبقية تأتي. بدت في البداية ممتعة، وممتعة جدا حتى أني تجاوزت المائة صفحة في مدة وجيزة، سرني أن أتعرف عن قرب على جزء من المجتمع الهندي وهم الهندوس وبعض عاداتهم في القرن الماضي..
الجزء الأول تحدث عن طفولته وصباه بشكل مركز ودقيق. وعن شعوره وبعض مغامراته.. ودراسته وزواجه المبكر جدا والذي أحززني كما أحزنه.. ومن ثم انطلاقه للحياة في بداية التجربة للدراسة بالخارج وتدبر اموره والعهد الذي قطعه بأن لايأكل اللحوم ولا يلمس النساء ولا يشرب المسكرات.

ثم بدأت تصبح مملة ومحشوة كثيرا بأحداث و مقاطع غير ضرورية . إضافة إلي التكرار الكثير في مجمل كلامه وبعض المواقف. مما جعلني اشعر بالملل والفتور.. وكنت أقفز بعض المقاطع من شدة الملل. الأسلوب في الترجمة لم يكن كما تمنيت. شعرت أنه ينقصه من السلاسة الشيء الكثير.. لا أعلم لم لكني فعلا وأنا أقرأ أشعر أن في الجمل شيء من عدم السهولة او الوضوح او المباشرة، في حين كان بامكان المترجم أن يكون أكثر سلاسة.. ربما لأني سمعت عن ترجمات منير بعلبكي المحترفة فتوقعت شيئا أكثر.. لكن لم يسعني الا ان الاحظ ان الترجمة كانت احد انتقاداتي للكتاب. طباعة النسخة غير جيدة و وغير واضحة مع ان نسختي جديدة وبتغليفها البلاستيكي لكن وجدت الكثير من الصفحات علي وشك التمزق.. وبعض النقط الغير واضح مكانها..

المهم كانت سيرة محملة بالمواقف والعبر والدروس.. عرفت ان الذي لايستسلم هو الذي ينتصر . وان الثبات على المبدأ بحد ذاته انجاز.. هالني ما رأيته منه في حين كانت زوجته - هو - اولاده أقرب للموت لكنه يرفض التداوي بمرق اللحم او قطع الدجاج . بسبب مبدأه الديني. على الرغم من اني لا اوافقه طبعا لكن ثباته على المبدأ مذهل حقيقة.. بدا لي ان المهاتما جدا متسامح مع الاديان ومنفتح، كان خلوقا جدا ويظهر ذلك جليا في تبنيه لللاعنف والذي انقذ الهند من الاحتلال البريطاني.. أعجبني جدا أنه لم يأبه كثيرا بكلام طائفته حين قرر السفر للدراسة في حين انهم قاطعوه واعتبروه منبوذا..

في هذه السيرة الكثير من الاشياء المحفزة والمملة والعظيمة والعادية. والاشياء التي تجعلك جدا سعيد لان العظماء او الذين فعلوا شيئا عظيما بدأوا حياة عادية لهم نقائص وشكوك وماضي. هم بشر قبل أي شيء اخر..

وجدت انه جدا جدا صريح بخصوص عيوبه. مثل كثرة الشهوة وعلاقته الزوجية وتربيته لابنائه الذي يعتقد انه قصر في الجانب الادبي خصوصا، وحين تركهم لمدة طويلة.. لا أظن أني سأعود لقرائتها مرة أخرى.. كانت عملية مرهقة مع هذه الطباعة. لكني علمت الكثير من المقاطع للرجوع لها منفردة

...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Nasser Moh'd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: سير-ذاتيه

غاندي والحقيقة
أُعجبت بشخصية غاندي الفذة ، الصبوره ، المثابرة ، الذكيه ، الصلبة بمبادئها ،
(ولو اني كنت ارى بان هذه المباديء تشكل عائقاً امامه ، لكن بوجهة نظر غاندي ان المباديء ما هي الا حقائق تشكل إلهٌ واحد)
ومن هنا يجب علينا ان ننظر بأن غاندي معذور ان ضحى بنفسه من اجل مبدأ واحد

وبما ان الكتاب أشبه بالسيره الذاتيه فانا ساحاول جاهداً ان اكتب فقط عن شخص غاندي لا غير ....ب
غاندي الرجل الطيب ، المتواضع، المحب والواثق للاخرين، الصادق ، المؤمن ، الزاهد بالدنيا ، ، المحب والغيور على وطنه،
كل هذه الصفات تج ...more

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Apr 03, 2008 Miles Kaufman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In Gandhi’s Autobiography (which was hand written by someone else, but told supposedly word-for-word by Gandhi.) the book starts off with Gandhi as a child and his recollections. From here to his teenage years its pretty exciting and an overall page turner. I don’t want to give away anything, but his childhood was pretty weird in comparison to the American lifestyle.

Anyway I found that the chapters later on that involved his life in England overall drab and boring. Gandhi seemed to recall borin ...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Lona rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

قد يستغرب البعض لما سأقوله هنا أنا "لست" من المعجبين بشخصية غاندي .. .. وخلال قراءة هذا الكتاب تأكدت من ذلك

شخصيته الانطوائية، شديدة الخجل وسأكون جريئة وأقول سلبية حققت ما لم يحققه الكثير وخلقت مفهوم جديد للمقاومة

لماذا إذا منحت الكتاب 4 نجوم؟! لأن الكتاب يندرج تحت تصنيف الكتب التي تتربع على عرش نوعيتي المفضلة "السيرة الذاتية" وأيضاً الكتاب مكتوب بطريقة جميلة .. .. والأهم من ذلك أن تأثير غاندي الإيجابي في العالم بمقاومته السلبية أمر يدعو للإعجاب سواء شئت أم أبيت

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Jan 20, 2010 gumireddy srikanth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I owe my life to Mahatma Gandhi, This is a life-changing book. When we think of Gandhi, we think of a man who must’ve been perfect, I have learn’t about Gandhi at my school nobody discussed about this flaws , We were only taught about his extraordinary simple principles ,But in his autobiography, I learned that he had his own flaws . But his immense determination to overcome his problems , slowly and and persistently stuck me . I have learned lot of simple extra ordinary principles like Women de ...more

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Feb 06, 2015 Jijo Varghese rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Caution: This is my view about Gandhi after reading his book. During childhood(may be age also matters- I read it when I was 15) I read Malayalam version of it given by one of my friend who got this book as a gift.This review its strictly my own understanding of him, and has nothing to do with the way others understands & respects him. May be I have done terrific mistake by not understanding him the way all of you had.This is not to impose or sling anything on Mr.Gandhi and your exalted view Caution: This is my view about Gandhi after reading his book. During childhood(may be age also matters- I read it when I was 15) I read Malayalam version of it given by one of my friend who got this book as a gift.This review its strictly my own understanding of him, and has nothing to do with the way others understands & respects him. May be I have done terrific mistake by not understanding him the way all of you had.This is not to impose or sling anything on Mr.Gandhi and your exalted view of him.

It's my fault, my fault and my own fault..

06.02.15: I will not be defending my views now on by replying comment
s posted below this thread (I think I have already done it with all my might).
Happy reading folks..Cheers & GD Luck

Gandhi..called as Mahatma??? A self deceiver can be called as Mahatma?? I call him self deceiver only because of his rules and regulations which was maintained or still maintaining in his ashram..

He calls Gita his mother!!then what about Quran or Bible?? What about Buddhist scriptures?? And there are still people who goes on calling these people as Mahatmas???People like him were always against rebels..I calls him traditional..the very stupid mediocre mind of vedic period..and this so called Mahatmas have been curse of India..very own root curse..They goes on telling about simplicity..or shows simplicity..See there are millions in India whom cant even wear a dhoty Gandhi used to wear..there are millions again who cant even think about one time food..there are again thousands who eat their daily bread by cleaning toilets..but when all of this were done by a Gandhi..he is Mahatma!!

Thats why I calls them self deceivers..just giving poor people a feeling that they are doing much for them..very much so that they dont feel any inferiority complex. Just other day I read an article written buy an American saying that even beggars in India are content and happy but America is so tensed.. This has been the slogan of all leaders of India..India is spiritual so it is content and happy..This is called a mediocre mind..Beggars in India are happy because they have a hope for better future..better tomorrow and America is unhappy because they have known all things of life..money..power..fame..I met a man during my tour to Rishikesh who stays there for nearly last five years practicing Sadhana..and he says nothing fails like success..it's just a mirage for a desert traveler.But to realize that one has to taste it..then come out of it..without knowing what is success or money..or fame how you can lead a life against it.

This type of people have great visions for nourishing villages; and strange enough we Indians follow these principles and nothing happened..It's sinking deep and deep.

India can win only if people get out of the clutches of these kind of people..parasites..blood suckers..It needs a revolution both spiritual and material.. It needs a revolution which is both religious and scientific..It needs revolution of Capitalism and birth control..Capitalism in my sense is freedom for every individual out of dogmas of religion..caste..all which is oppressive and repressive.

People like Gandhi were against this type of revolutions..he is spiritual in "Indian sense" but not materialist..He is religious again "in so called Indian sense"..but not scientific..and always We Indian's have there own way of approaching things..and result was of "CONTINUOUS SLAVERYOF 2000 YEARS"..and of course we have a great name for it"HOSPITALITY"..

When India can wake from it's stupid safeties of Caste..Religion..then only it have future..or again there will be Mahatmas to dig grave for India..
...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Erik Graff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Erik by: Kelly Fox, who introduced me to India

Shelves: biography

Having read Fischer's biography of him in high school led to reading a whole lot of Gandhi's own writing in college--until, that is, hitting his commentaries on the Gita--starting with his early autobiographical My Experiments with Truth.

My primary interest in Gandhi was his pacifism and his reasons for it. The United States' invasion of the south of Vietnam had been going on since my childhood and I had become a draft counselor in college and, ultimately, a draft resister after I'd started fill Having read Fischer's biography of him in high school led to reading a whole lot of Gandhi's own writing in college--until, that is, hitting his commentaries on the Gita--starting with his early autobiographical My Experiments with Truth.

My primary interest in Gandhi was his pacifism and his reasons for it. The United States' invasion of the south of Vietnam had been going on since my childhood and I had become a draft counselor in college and, ultimately, a draft resister after I'd started filling out the conscientious objector forms and found that I certainly didn't qualify by governmental criteria. This, of course, raised questions. The C.O. status was only granted then for persons subscribing to a theistic faith tradition opposed to violence. I was no theist in their sense, nor was Gandhi. What would he have to say?

Well, on that score Gandhi was a disappointment. His pacifism appeared rooted in his character and in his emotional feeling for such traditions and behavior. I shared the emotion and found Gandhi a kindred soul, but I failed to find an intellectually satisfying argument which could hold up against, say, a sociopath's or a politician's reasonings.

What I did find was a very engaging fellow, conversant with the West and their traditions, as well as with his own culture, a cosmopolitan from the other side of the world who conveys a sense of utter guilelessness yet whom you know was a practical and very successful politician on terms substantially of his own choosing.

In this light, an anecdote: When Gandhi, in 1931, stopped for an audience with Italy's head of state, he was met by Mussolini and his family. As ever, Gandhi was scantily attired and accompanied by his goat. Mussolini's sons sniggered. After the audience the Duce is reported to have glared at them, saying "that man and his goat are shaking the British Empire." ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Self-revealing and fascinating to read alongside Erik Erikson's at-a-distance psychoanalysis of the saint, Gandhi's Truth (1960). The autobiography is full of surprises: At one point in his youth, Gandhi became convinced that India was behind the times because of vegetarianism, so he vowed to convert all of his homeland to carnivorious wisdom. Perhaps the only vow he did not keep.

Would that his teachings on non-violent resistance ( satyagraha ) were more widely applied. Detractors argue, however, ...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Dimple rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"My experiments with truth" describes perfectly the stoic life of Gandhiji! How he developed himself through 'good company', 'good books' and 'self-will'.
This writing is an Apotheosis for showing,"Winners are not born, they are made!"

I thought this book will be more about British East India and our Freedom struggle but its basically about "experiments" of Gandhiji in his journey and it's remarkable how he sticked to his beliefs!
Though many of his beliefs or rules I didn't find right(or orthodox, ...more

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May 02, 2011 Pawan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://iandbooks.wordpress.com/

This is the first post I am writing on my blog where I want to write about the books that I have read and how they have changed my life or sometimes just given me moments of happiness in otherwise stressed life.
There cannot be a better book than “My Experiments with Truth” to start this journey. A book that helped me 20 years ago when I had read it for the first time and now again when I read it last month. The author of the book “Mahatma Gandhi” is probably one p http://iandbooks.wordpress.com/

This is the first post I am writing on my blog where I want to write about the books that I have read and how they have changed my life or sometimes just given me moments of happiness in otherwise stressed life.
There cannot be a better book than “My Experiments with Truth” to start this journey. A book that helped me 20 years ago when I had read it for the first time and now again when I read it last month. The author of the book “Mahatma Gandhi” is probably one person whom I have admired more than anybody else. There have been many other people whom I have admired and looked up to but then all of them have failed in my eyes at some time or other but not Mahatma Gandhi. This does not mean that he has not made mistakes in life. There are parts of his biography where I do not agree with him, where he has made mistakes. But at no point I find him going against his conviction. He is always the first to admit his mistakes. His whole character has an integrity which is flawless. He is doing what he is preaching and he is preaching only what he firmly believes in. There are no two faces to him.
The book which is his autobiography brings out this aspect in such an inspiring way that you feel wonder at his frankness.
Last time when I read his book, I was at a stage in life where my confidence was at all time low. I was shy, introvert, could not speak in groups. I used to feel that all my friends are much ahead of me in life and I have lost all hope in life and I will never be able to catch up with them in the race of life and I was 16 years old. I guess lot of people at that stage suffer from this. The life when it is just starting looks as ending already. This book brought in me that confidence and faith which I needed at that time. The fact that the person who being a lawyer could not speak facing a judge could move 30 crore Indians with his speach later in life told me that life is not over for me. What is important is to follow your convictions and desires and the results will come out some day. I have seen this change happenning in me over the years. I have found that in the end it is my faith and conviction which has seen me through the darkest times.
I know there are lot of people out there who do not agree for what he has written in this book and in fact criticize him for his experiments on education, medicine, celibacy, religion, freedom struggle. But he still did those experiments with courage that is unparallel. He was the biggest scientist in that sense doing his experiments. Many of his experiments did not give results. But who says that a person has to be right all the time. Yes, he must have failed and in some cases even if he succeeded there were no followers for those results but that is what makes him a human being, a scientist. He is not saying that he is telling sacred words which have to be followed like words of God. All he is telling is about his experiments. The idea that they are experiments mean that they can be wrong or may not give results. But the fact remains Satya and Ahimsa did bear the results for India and its people.
In the end, I would say it is a great book by a great human being and I thank him for giving us this gift.
Till next time ...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Elliot Ratzman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Orwell: “Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proven innocent.” Gandhi may be a saint, but he is one fussy holy man. His autobiography only takes us to 1927, before the campaign to free India of British rule. He had become famous for leading a civil rights movement for Indians in South Africa where he lived for years before taking the “satyagraha” movement back to India. On the way, he is a young anglophile who admires the Empire, studies law in London and sides with the colonial ...more

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Elliot Ratzman I'd love to hear how you find the Merton bio. John Howard Griffin (author of Black Like Me), who I'm working on (part of) a book about, was suppose to ...more
Aug 07, 2013 07:05PM

Laura oh Elliot....the book on Watts....i loved him, i hated him, i related to him and finally i pitied him. clay feet in gurus really bother me. he always ...more
Aug 07, 2013 08:00PM

Jul 23, 2007 Apelger is currently reading it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: apathetic people

I should probably wait till I actually finished the book to write a review. But I feel like writting now because I've got something to say now. I tentaivley picked up this book and that is how I am making my way through the pages. I've only just begun, Gandhi is about thirteen. But I find myself angry at him. I can't get through a page without watching his struggle with a thought, idea or truth. His life, from the very early stages, reveals his struggle towards ahimsa,non-violence, and brahmacha ...more

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Jun 22, 2013 ريفيّة rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

محامي، هندوسي، ملتزم بتعاليم دينه، نباتي، يسعى إلى حياة بلا عنف، يقدم مصلحة الجماعة على مصلحته ومصلحة عائلته، من ركاب الدرجة الثالثة في القطار، وفي أحيان نادرة من ركاب الدرجة الأولى.
لم يفاجئني في شيء، لم أرَ أنه تميّز في شيء، كان عادياً جداً، بل و مملاً بالنسبة لي، كل ما حدث أن هذا الإنسان وُهِب من العالم فرصة أن يكون مشهوراً.
لا أرىٰ أن الإلتزام و الإخلاص للديانة و تعاليمها شيءٌ صعب، ولا أرىٰ كون الإنسان نباتيٌّ جداً، شيء مميز، ببساطة حتى تكون نباتياً فكل ما عليك هو الإستغناء عن قطعة "الستيك" ف ...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Hadrian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir , history , south-asia , nonfiction , philosophy , religion-theology , india

Extremely interesting view of the growth and spiritual development of one of the most illuminating figures of the last century. Covers a wide variety of topics. A shame that it only ends in the 1920s (but what autobiography could ever be called complete?), but it is still a fascinating portrait of the man.

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Aug 29, 2015 Razan Al-ghriafy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

لم أستطع التوقف عن القراءة .. لأن غاندي اختار أسلوباً لا أستطيع الفكاك منه " الإسلوب القصصي "
وإلا فإن هذا الكتاب قد كان
الأطول وقتاً
والأكثر ثقلاً
والكثير جهداً
أتعبني غاندي .. فلم أستطع التماشي مع معتقداته ومبادئه
التي لطالما قرأتها في اقتباساتٍ له أو حكم
ولكن، يبدوا بأنه يجيد لكّ الكلمة في فاههِ فقط
ساعده كثيراً عناده وفراسته للوصول لمتطلعاته
التي كثيراً ما شعرتُ بتورطه فيها أصلاً
فقد كان يعلمُ جيداً كيف يظل في دائرة الحظ
ويستخدمُ الأشخاص المناسبين في الوقت المناسب
وهذا ما ميزه
وفيما يتعلق عن بحثه عن الحق ...more

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May 27, 2010 Michael Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio , classics , memoir , politics , thought

Gandhi 's autobiography is one of those books that you just have to read, a story of developing oneself and raising the conscience of a people. The Mahatma (Great Soul, name apparently first used in relation with Gandhi by the great Indian poet Tagore) presents with a great deal of detail his life and development of beliefs such as vegetarianism (then fruitarianism), simplicity, brahmacharya (abstinence), non-violence, and pursuit of truth; there are also slight mentions of swaraj (right of self ...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Mike Moore rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had trouble deciding whether to give this four stars or five. This book poses major problems for a contemporary western audience. It frequently alludes to another volume (Satyagraha in South Africa) which I have been unable to procure as a necessary companion volume. The final part (of five) assumes a more thorough knowledge of the birth of India as an independent nation and the events and persons that were involved in it than I possess. It becomes clear in this section that Gandhi was writing I had trouble deciding whether to give this four stars or five. This book poses major problems for a contemporary western audience. It frequently alludes to another volume (Satyagraha in South Africa) which I have been unable to procure as a necessary companion volume. The final part (of five) assumes a more thorough knowledge of the birth of India as an independent nation and the events and persons that were involved in it than I possess. It becomes clear in this section that Gandhi was writing for the benefit of the people in his own day, and so assumes that they are already intimately acquainted with things that were distant and obscure to me.

However, I'm going to let my admiration for Gandhi and my appreciation for what has been accomplished in this work override my sense of its shortcomings. This is a wonderful book, detailing as it does the progression of a man from a youth of uncertainty and insecurity to a maturity of discipline, rigor and tremendous emotional strength. Whether one agrees with Gandhi's views is beside the point when considering the power and accomplishment of self-creation that is Gandhi's life. An honest autobiography by such a person is a treasure of literature.

As I mentioned before, the work is divided into five parts, each of which presents a remarkably contained statement of a stage on Gandhi's way, especially given the rather loose chronological treatment. To wit, the first part deals with Gandhi's personal origins and weaknesses. The second with the formative experiences that would define his social and political worldview. The third finds him defining himself as a part of this society, injecting discipline and rigor into a life that becomes centered on his duty. In the fourth, Gandhi is a leader in the struggles of South African Indians and is actively changing the social and political orders which he has embraced so thoroughly. Part five details his attempts to generalize the lessons of the South Africa experience in India.

The first four sections are quick and engaging reads (though the fourth was frustrating given the lack of the aforementioned companion volume). However, the fifth section was hard going. This was due in part to my lack of contextual familiarity, but I think the section also suffers from an uncertainty in how the story ends, as if Gandhi felt that Part 5 was being written prematurely because the fruits of the struggle had not been realized. Many of his attempts at Satyagraha in India are unsuccessful or unsatisfying to him, and there's an underlying uncertainty of how the masses can be taught to be "firm in truth" without sacrificing non-violence. As such, part five adheres closely to the subtitle of the book: these could almost be the lab notes of a social experimenter.

However, all complaints that I might level are dwarfed by the pleasure and satisfaction I have in getting to know Gandhi better through his autobiography. He was a great man, and this work is a wonderfully candid account of what a great man works on, struggles with and thinks about. ...more

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Jun 26, 2013 Zainab rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

تقييمي 4 نجوم لا علي غاندي في شخصه بل علي كتابه : الذي وجدته يتكلم فعلا علي انسان له عيوب كما له مزايا
و له اخطاء وهفوات كما له انجازات وامجاد
وهذا نادرا ما تجده في كتب السيرة الذاتيه التي تكتب شخصيا ، فعادة مايميل الانسان لمدح وثناء اكثر
اما غانادي فيتكلم حتي علي اخطائه داخل بيته وخلافاته مع زوجته لائما نفسه اولا ومعترفا بأخطائه
و لا يجد حرجا في ذكره ... وهذا ما زاد اعجابي بالكتاب ، اما ان تكلمت عن مسيرته فـ بغض النظر عن اختلافي معه في بعض اساليبه وقناعاته الا ان سيرته تظهر شخصا ليس ذو مبادئ فقط تقييمي 4 نجوم لا علي غاندي في شخصه بل علي كتابه : الذي وجدته يتكلم فعلا علي انسان له عيوب كما له مزايا
و له اخطاء وهفوات كما له انجازات وامجاد
وهذا نادرا ما تجده في كتب السيرة الذاتيه التي تكتب شخصيا ، فعادة مايميل الانسان لمدح وثناء اكثر
اما غانادي فيتكلم حتي علي اخطائه داخل بيته وخلافاته مع زوجته لائما نفسه اولا ومعترفا بأخطائه
و لا يجد حرجا في ذكره ... وهذا ما زاد اعجابي بالكتاب ، اما ان تكلمت عن مسيرته فـ بغض النظر عن اختلافي معه في بعض اساليبه وقناعاته الا ان سيرته تظهر شخصا ليس ذو مبادئ فقط بل مكافحا ومناضلا من اجلها وثابتا عليها ( بطريق السلم ونبذ العنف من اجل الحق) كما يقول
مما لفت انتباهي ايضا ، شده اصراره وتمسكه بـ زهد في الاكل والملبس خاصه الاكل فهو يدقق حتي علي نبذ الملح والبهارات الي ان يصل الي نبذ اللبن :/ والذي نبذ قبله البيض طبعا ن حتي وصوله لاكل الفواكه فقط ! هو امراً يعكس العزيمه مما لاشك فيه ولكن اسبابه ، في بادئ الامر كان سبب مالي ثم اصبح صحي الي ان اصبح هدفه التبتل

أُعجبت بنظرة غاندي الدينيه المتعلقه بالدين والله والتناغم مع الاديان ، وعدم اكتراثه بنبذ طائفته ، من الجميل ان يكون الانسان هو الباحث عن معني الدين ولا يبتلع معاني جاهزة ويصبح تابعا وحسب
قد اختلف مع غاندي في اساليبه السياسيه ، وفي قناعته بأن كل شئ يأتي بالسلم في زمن يعلو فيه صوت الرصاص
كما اختلف معه في شده زهده ونقل هذا الزهد حتي علي ابنائه و زوجته
ولكن يبقي غاندي رائعا في كفاحه من اجل مبادئ ، في وقت كان غيره نائما لا كفاح لا تغير ولا حتي نظر في الذات
...more

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Jul 23, 2012 woodshadows rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not what I expected from a book entitled "My experiments with truth", written by Gandhi himself. A better title might perhaps be "I am really obsessed with nutrition and weirdo fad diets and enjoy privation as a means of feeling in control, including my strange aversion - but huge (did I mention huge?) huge, passion for - sex!" I was expecting lots of satyagraha, lots of moral wisdom, lots of practical info on how Gandhi implemented his sociological victories. Instead we are presented wi ...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Aman Arora added it · review of another edition

The book is a story of a simple,lustful man that gradually changed into a man who is well known as "FATHER OF THE NATION" today . It deals with the minute to minute happenings of Gandhi's life from his birth to 1920s.
After reading it, one comes to know about the greatness of Gandhi and his firm belief in AHIMSA as well as one comes to know about the follies of Gandhi like his pseudo belief in goodwill of British Raj. The incidents of South Africa are beautifully portrayed.
If one is a pragmatic ...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Darshana Unnikrishnan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english , indian-authors , non-fiction , translations , india-on-my-mind

to understand Gandhi through his own words was a wonderful experience. There is a kind of a picture that is painted into our minds during childhood by our elders of Gandhi as an ideal person. Reading this book changed my perception of Gandhiji. Now what I see is a person who has strong principles/belief systems and someone who admits to being a human with a weak side but strives to make it strong by relentless efforts.

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Apr 07, 2012 mai ahmd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: سير-ذاتية

شخصية مثيرة لا يمكن أن تحترم نبل هذا الرجل أعجبني الجزء الأول جدا
كان مدهشا بالنسبة لي هذه الروحانية الشديدة التي كان يتعامل بها مع الأشياء
حتى في عاداته الغذائية التي أذهلتني
كم نضعف أمام الطعام لكن غاندي كان بطل
مثالا لقوة الإرادة
الجزء الثاني لم أقرؤه بحب وتمللت منه كونه يتناول الجانب السياسي الذي أنفر منه في العادة

بالمجمل سيرة مختلفة تستحق القراءة

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Jan 23, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Shelves: biography , history , memoir , non-fiction , philosophy , political , religion , spirituality , ultimate-reading-list

Gandhi had a profound effect on history. As such, I thought reading his autobiography a must. I knew I had a lot of disagreements with what he believed, big and small, but his attitude as alluded to in his title disarmed me at first. He writes that "far from claiming finality or infallibility" truth is something he believes we seek and learn by testing. At first I found him likeable and admirable. I felt for his struggles with shyness and public speaking. But my respect for his views and my liki Gandhi had a profound effect on history. As such, I thought reading his autobiography a must. I knew I had a lot of disagreements with what he believed, big and small, but his attitude as alluded to in his title disarmed me at first. He writes that "far from claiming finality or infallibility" truth is something he believes we seek and learn by testing. At first I found him likeable and admirable. I felt for his struggles with shyness and public speaking. But my respect for his views and my liking for him eroded over the course of his autobiography. I felt his family and especially his wife had a lot to put up with by his own account. And so much of the autobiography was taken up with frankly crackpot notions. Even he calls himself a "crank" at one point and refers to his practice of "quack medicine." That may have been meant ironically but I thought it fit. Long, dull stretches of the narrative were taken up with details of diet and hygiene.

You're not going to get a complete overview of his life and thinking from this work, since he stops the account at 1921 and he lived until 1948. Too often key events would be glossed over and he'd refer the reader to other writings to fill the gap. But having seen the famous film based on his life, it was interesting to read material not covered there from his childhood in India and his time in England as a young man. I was surprised at how accepted he seemed to be studying in England--he didn't relate encountering much color prejudice there--more the opposite--and this was in the late 1880s. It was a very different story in South Africa where he gained his first experience of law practice and political activism. At one time he was literally kicked to the curb as Indians weren't allowed on the pavement. I would have liked to read more about his development of Satyagraha (active non-violent resistance), particularly his use of Civil Disobedience, especially since I know it greatly influenced Martin Luther King. It was interesting to find out Ghandi himself was greatly influenced by Tolstoy's non-violent principles in The Kingdom of God Is Within You . He even called his ashram in South Africa "Tolstoy Farm" and I can see a lot of commonality between the two men. I could wish this was annotated, or at least a glossary provided. There were a lot of Hindu/Indian terms I had to jot down to look up later: ashram , darbar , darshan , dhoti , haveli , vakils , Khilafat , Madras , Parsi , Swaraj , Vaishnavas . Maps would have been nice too. But I found there was value enough in getting a feel for the man that on the whole I found it worth the read. ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Gandhi's Beginnings: Some Questions	11	194	Jun 04, 2014 10:51PM
FULL Creative Lib...: My Experiments with Truth	1	5	Mar 05, 2014 02:45PM
صالون الجمعة: السيرة الأولى \| قصة تجاربي مع الحقيقة	180	334	Jun 29, 2013 12:45PM
Contemporary relevance of Gandhi	3	67	Apr 15, 2013 03:02AM

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About Mahatma Gandhi

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 Gu ...more

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

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“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.” — 361 likes

“When every hope is gone, 'when helpers fail and comforts flee,' I find that help arrives somehow, from I know not where. Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting or walking. It is no exaggeration to say that they alone are real, all else is unreal.” — 217 likes

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An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

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