... formed his idea of passive resistance to, and noncooperation with, the South African authorities. "Make waves, not war"2 He gained inspiration to be a passive resister from the writer Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi's greatest influence. Tolstoy left a profound influence and imprint on Gandhi as did the teachings of Jesus Christ and the nineteenth century writer Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience" was one Gandhi ... inadequate for his purpose. For that reason Gandhi coined the term Satyagraha, a Sanskrit word meaning truth and firmness. This word defined what Gandhi was workin...

• Word Count: 1267
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly." The essay greatly influenced such reformers as Leo Tolstoy of Russia, Mohandas Gandhi of India, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders of the American civil rights movement. Thoreau called for an end to slavery. He attacked it in ... ...

• Word Count: 3135
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School