A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

The saying expresses a core Gandhian conviction: history is not only shaped by armies, wealth, or majorities, but by disciplined minorities animated by moral purpose. “Determined spirits” suggests courage and perseverance; “unquenchable faith” points to a sustaining inner certainty—often, in Gandhi’s thought, faith in truth (satya) and nonviolent force (satyagraha). The line functions as encouragement to activists who feel numerically or politically weak, arguing that steadfast commitment can generate outsized change. It also implies an ethical test: the power to “alter the course of history” depends less on coercion than on integrity, sacrifice, and the ability to awaken conscience in others.