CHAPTER 1

Be True to Character

Build and be guided by a strong moral authority.

A mother once brought her child to human and civil rights pioneer Mahatma Gandhi and asked him to tell the young boy to stop eating sugar because it was not good for his diet or his developing teeth.

Gandhi replied, “I cannot tell him that. But you may bring him back in a month.”

Gandhi then moved on, brushing the mother aside. She was angry; she had traveled some distance and had expected the mighty leader to support her parenting. But having little recourse, she left for her home. One month later she returned, not knowing what to expect.

The great Gandhi took the small child’s hands into his own, knelt before him, and tenderly said, “Do not eat sugar, my child. ...

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