In 1932, when Gandhiji was at London, the editor of Spectator asked him, "Did any book ever affect you supremely and was there any turning-point in your life?" Gandhi answered: "Yes, the book that affected me more than any other is Unto This Last by Ruskin...". He had read this book in 1904, 28 years earlier. Evidently, the book had made a remarkable impression on Gandhi, for him to give it such a special position even after so many years.
Other quotes from Gandhi about Unto This Last:
"There is no other word for it: Ruskin's words captivated me".
"Great Britain gave me Ruskin, whose Unto This Last transformed me overnight..."
"I discovered some of my deepest convictions reflected in this great book of Ruskin..."
How it changed him: So how did the book actually transform him? He was given the book casually to pass time on a long train journey between Jo'Burg and Durban. By the time he finished the journey, he had completed the book and resolved to model his life along the book's principles. As an immediate consequence, he, along with friends, set up the Phoenix Farm, where the residents made a living off the land, leading a simple life. He also moved the publishing of Indian Opinion to the farm.
So, overnight, he transformed "from a lawyer and city-dweller into a rustic living away from Durban...", to quote Gandhi himself. Quite a profound change!
What the book said: The book's principles:
1. The good of the individual is contained in the ultimate good of all. Gandhi termed this as Sarvodaya, which ubiquitous word was actually invented by him. (Personally, I find this principle to be a striking contrast to Keynesian economics: the ultimate good of all is contained in the good of the individual, also known as Laissez Fair!)
2. All men have the same right to make a living from their work and there is no difference between one profession and the other. This is reflected in Gandhi's lifelong struggle against untouchability.
3. A life of labour is the life worth living. Hence the farm.
Now, the interesting bit: Ruskin talked about these principles, but he didn't define how they be put to action, certainly not the dramatic way that Gandhiji adapted them.
Ruskin himself probably did not emulate those principles. Also, there were sections of the book that Gandhiji disagreed with. Ruskin was of the belief that the common man was not fit to rule and a class system is necessary for societal welfare, both of which Gandhi disputed.
In fact, to quote Louis Fischer, nothing that Gandhi read in Ruskin's work need have decided the drastic course taken by him. So why do Gandhi's words state otherwise?
Creative Reader: The answer lies in this insight by Louis Fischer: The plain fact was that Gandhi himself was ready at this point for a back-to-the-nature move and Ruskin pushed him, gently enough, towards the great decision. It was the catalyst of an impending change.
Further, Fischer makes this incisive comment: "He frequently read into texts what he wanted them to say. A creative reader, he co-authored the impression the book played on him. He put things into it and took them back with interest.
So, it was in the course of a journey through that dark South African night that Gandhi happened to read and discover Gandhi into John Ruskin.
Perhaps the best proof of this is that his Gujarati translation of Unto This Last was re-translated back into English!
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