Q. What does this quotation mean to you?
“A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes” – Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi means to say that it is our thoughts that guide our actions. If we think good thoughts it also leads to good actions. E.g., one cannot be thinking bad thoughts and doing good acts. A criminal does not have good thoughts while executing a killing.
A consistency between thoughts and actions is also called integrity. So, a person who is guided by good thoughts that leads to good actions is also one who upholds integrity in personal as well as public life.
Thoughts also lead us to help manage our emotions. Positive thoughts lead to positive emotions. E.g., a civil services aspirant constantly failing in the exam if consumed by negative thoughts might hamper her own chances at succeeding at the examination.
Thoughts also express our desires and desires lead to action. A person first thinks of becoming a civil servant and then begins to act upon that desire not the opposite. So thoughts are the driving force behind our actions.
To conclude, Gandhiji’s Talisman is the guide to channel our thoughts in times of adversity and crisis. It is one thing to uphold our thoughts in affluent times but totally another to adhere to them in times of adversity.
