Quote by Ashoka: “All men are my children. As for my own children, I desire their welfare and happiness.”

Ashoka extended the love he felt for his own family outward to every person in his empire — and then further, to all living beings. After converting to Buddhism following the horror of his own military conquests, he governed through compassion rather than force, and left edicts carved in stone declaring this radical expansiveness of care.

Ashoka issued his famous Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts across the Maurya Empire — stretching from Afghanistan to southern India — following his conversion to Buddhism around 260 BCE. The edicts were among the first large-scale public inscriptions of moral and political principles in South Asian history, intended to be read aloud to populations who could not read.

Emperor of the Maurya dynasty of India who reigned from approximately 268 to 232 BCE. After witnessing the devastating casualties of the Kalinga War, he converted to Buddhism and renounced military conquest. He promoted dharma, non-violence, and religious tolerance across his vast empire through a series of edicts inscribed on pillars and rock faces.