Throughout the course of Mahatma Gandhi’s life, one thing always reigned true: violence was never the answer. The frail little man lived a life devoted to a message of peace and brotherly love with a passion for humanity. His Hindu faith always remained at the center of who he was and everything he believed in.

Though many believed he was quite extraordinary, Gandhi believed that he was actually quite ordinary. He didn’t like to be revered. Gandhi married at the tender age of 13, and though at the time he did not understand the meaning of marriage, he credits his wife, Kasturba, as his first teacher of nonviolence and passive resistance.

During his life, Gandhi led a salt march during a period of time where he wanted to take his nation back from the British as a way to oppose its taxes. When police arrested him, he never resisted.

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated. While this day was heartbreaking to all who knew and loved him, Gandhi had always anticipated his death and never feared it.

Learn more about this humble man who used nonviolence to achieve independence from Britain while defying the caste system that was central to Indian culture