What do each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) “Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If not, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.” — Swami Vivekanand (b) “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi (c) “A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.” — Socrates

(a) Swami Vivekananda — "Condemn none..."

Vivekananda counsels against judgement and moral superiority. If we can help, we must — but if we cannot, we should at least not condemn or obstruct others. It teaches humility, non-interference and unconditional goodwill: help is a duty, contempt never is. For an administrator it means serving citizens without moralising over their choices.

(b) Mahatma Gandhi — "...lose yourself in the service of others."

Gandhi echoes the ideal of Nishkama Karma: true self-discovery comes not through self-absorption but through selfless service. In giving ourselves to others, ego dissolves and our real purpose and character emerge. Public service, at its best, is this path — finding meaning by dedicating oneself to the last person, Antyodaya.

(c) Socrates — "...morality based on relative emotional values..."

Socrates rejects a morality built merely on shifting emotions and convenience, calling it hollow. Ethics must rest on reason, objective truth and universal principle, not on feeling or self-interest. This warns against situational ethics that bend to expedience; for a civil servant, it means anchoring decisions in constitutional and rational principle, not passing sentiment.

Conclusion

Together the three teach non-judgemental compassion, self-realisation through service, and a rational, principled foundation for morality — the compass of ethical public life.