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Gandhi's nonviolent struggles in South Africa and India
had already brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation, and controversy
that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his career, he took it
as an opportunity to explain himself. Although accepting of his status as a
great innovator in the struggle against racism, violence, and, just then,
colonialism, Gandhi feared that enthusiasm for his ideas tended to exceed a
deeper understanding. He says that he was after truth rooted in devotion to God
and attributed the turning points, successes, and challenges in his life to the
will of God. His attempts to get closer to this divine power led him to seek
purity through simple living, dietary practices (he called himself a
fruitarian), celibacy, and ahimsa, a life without violence. It is in this sense
that he calls his book 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth,' offering it also as a reference for those who would follow in his footsteps.
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.
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