what do each of the following quotations mean to you?

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself…

Question

what do each of the following quotations mean to you?

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." – Mahatma Gandhi

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Gandhi's quote means that a person discovers their true self, strengths and purpose by forgetting the ego in selfless service to others. Gandhi himself, a lawyer in Natal, raised the Indian Ambulance Corps during the Boer War in 1899.

**Introduction**

Gandhi, a lawyer in Natal, raised the Indian Ambulance Corps during the Boer War in 1899 to carry the wounded. The quote captures that paradox: the self is discovered by forgetting it in work for others.

**What the Quote Means to Me**

SKETCH: flow-cycle | Service and Self-Discovery
- Serve others
- Feel empathy
- Know strengths
- Find purpose
- Serve more

1. **Ego dissolves in service**: Absorbed in another's need, a person sheds vanity, the Gita's **Nishkama Karma**, action without attachment to its fruits.
2. **Purpose over pleasure**: Maslow later placed self-transcendence above self-actualisation, since meaning comes from serving something beyond oneself, and helping others builds the self-worth that emotional intelligence values.
3. **Character revealed**: Service tests patience and humility; Gandhi's Phoenix Settlement (1904), inspired by Ruskin, rested on the dignity of shared labour.

**Its Meaning in the Present Context**

1. **Against consumerism**: Where identity is equated with possessions, the National Service Scheme's motto "Not Me But You" offers identity through contribution.
2. **Public service as vocation**: Armstrong Pame mobilised villagers and donations to build the 100 km "People's Road" in Manipur in 2012.
3. **Crisis solidarity**: During the COVID-19 lockdowns, gurdwara langars and citizen groups fed migrant workers on the move.
4. **Service with balance**: **Empathy Fatigue** warns that sustainable service needs self-care and respect for those served, not a saviour complex.

**Conclusion**

To me the quote means identity is not a possession to guard but a discovery made through giving. For a civil servant, Gandhi's talisman of recalling the poorest face before each decision makes this a daily practice.

what do each of the following quotations mean to you? "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." – Mahatma Gandhi

Model answer

Practise this question

Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India23 questions

Ghissu