Satyagraha means "force or firmness of truth". Gandhi worked and lived by this word. By peaceful, non-violent demonstrations he little by little took hold of the people of India's love and honor and freed them from British rule. .

             Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Poorbandar, Gujarat, a region of Queen Victoria in West India. He was the son of Karamchand Gandhi, the chief minister of Poorbandar, and his fourth wife, Putlibai, a deeply religious Hindu. From her he formed a deep belief in non-violence. As he grew, Mohandas became a small, shy and skinny boy, afraid of others' opinions. He never spoke out, but although he was never a clever child, others were surprised by his gentleness. At the age of thirteen, he was married to Kastaurbai, a pretty yet strongwilled girl of the same caste. He would now live with his wife, instead of his mother and father whom he had cared for so long. (Britannica's Junior Encyclopedia, 1980, p.257) Before this, Mohandas had told lies, had smoked, and had eaten meat, which was strictly forbidden of Hindus. Now, suddenly, he felt guilty and that he had hurt himself and in some ways those who he cared for. So, in desperation, he told his father, and they cried together. One year later Mohandes' father Karamchand Gandhi died. Mohandas was sixteen when his father passed away. .

             At eighteen he traveled to England to study law and secretly to see for himself what made the English so powerful. He enrolled in a college of law but quit after one term. He felt that he didn't fit in, so he studied the " Standard Elocutionist" for use and knowledge of proper etiquette. After a while he quit this also because he saw no use anymore. Quitting became a popular theme in his early life. Sometimes he quit because he was bored with something and just grew out of it, or sometimes when he just couldn't accomplish anything. He did not quit everything though. He worked at some things if he thought that it would in some way help him.