Given below are three quotations of great thinkers. What do each of these quotations convey to you in the present context? (a) “The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” – Mahatma Gandhi (b) “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves.” – Jawaharlal Nehru (c) “Do not hate anybody, because that hatred that comes out from you must, in the long run, come back to you. If you love, that love will come back to you, completing the circle.” – Swami Vivekananda

(a) Mahatma Gandhi on acts of kindness

Ethics is lived, not merely ritualised. A small, sincere act of compassion — feeding the hungry or guiding a lost citizen — carries greater moral worth than ostentatious piety. For a public servant it means empathetic, responsive service over formal duty; compassion is the truest prayer.

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru on awakening women

Women's empowerment is the fulcrum of social progress. When a woman is educated and free, the whole family, village and nation advance. In today's context this validates female literacy, workforce participation, and initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and the growing presence of women in Panchayats and public life.

(c) Swami Vivekananda on love returning

Actions rebound on the doer: hatred breeds hatred, and love begets love — a moral law akin to karma. It counsels leaders and citizens to answer hostility with tolerance and goodwill, building social harmony and breaking cycles of vengeance.

Together the three place kindness, gender justice and love at the heart of ethical life.