Motivational Stories: The Story of Mahatma Gandhi

If greatness were measured by report cards or school performance, then Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would never be more than “mediocre,” the term he used to describe his academic record. When Gandhi misspelled the word “teapot,” his teacher called him stupid because he was the only student who couldn’t spell that word. Throughout his school career, Gandhi never achieved a high grade, in fact all of his grades are below average. When it was time to go to university, he barely passed the matriculation exam at Samaldas College in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

Greatness, however, cannot be measured by something as mundane as a spelling test or a report card. There is more to life than just getting good grades in school. After graduating from law school, Gandhi began fighting for civil rights in South Africa before returning to his homeland in India. There, he fought to free India from British control, not with his fists but with civil disobedience.

At first, those in power rejected Gandhi’s efforts. Winston Churchill dismissed him as a “seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir.” The men with guns did not understand a man who said: “There are many causes that I am willing to die for, but no cause that I am willing to kill.” However, his opponents learned that Gandhi did not need to use violence; he had a courage and a spirit that could not be crushed. Although he was imprisoned many times during his life, he refused to give up. That is the true spirit. Gandhi’s efforts eventually helped bring independence to India.

This mediocre student came to be labeled with another term: mahatma, which means “great soul.” Throughout his life, Gandhi used non-violent means to help the oppressed. His example and teachings have inspired leaders of civil rights and freedom movements in the United States, South Africa, and around the world. Although Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1947, he never received the award. In 1948, Gandhi was considered for the award for the fifth time. However, he was assassinated two days before the nominations closed. The Nobel Committee considered awarding him the prize posthumously that year, but the award had always been awarded to a living person. Instead, the committee decided not to award any awards in 1948, because “there was no suitable living candidate.” In short, the award was meant to be presented to Mahatma Gandhi.