Gandhi reportedly once said, "There are many things for which I'm prepared to die. There is nothing for which I'm prepared to kill."

His tactics of non-violent protest were indeed radical for the time, but Gandhi wasn't an extremist. Had he been, it would've been far easier for the British to suppress or kill him as a dangerous radical.

Martin Luthur King, Jr., is a revered figure because he successfully applied Gandhi's tactics of non-violent protest to the American civil rights movement. His "I Have A Dream" speech (one of the great speeches in American history) is so memorable because of the imagery of his words. He could've gotten up on the stage and made a list of demands with the threat to use "any means necessary". Instead, he spoke of a father's dreams for his children and the hope of peaceful relations between the races. He was a truly great man, but not an extremist. Compare his words and deeds to the truly extremist groups of the day like the Weathermen or the Nation of Islam. Who had the greater success at achieving civil rights reform?