आपल्या व्याख्यानांत गोखल्यांच्या मनाच्या मोकळेपणाविषयीं सुंदर वर्णन दिले आहे. ते म्हणतात, 'मी सरकारच्या अंदाजपत्रकाची नेहमी तरफदारी करावयाचा. गोखले त्याच्या चिंध्या उडवीत असत; परंतु कधीही उतावीळपणाने मन भडकून गोखले यांनी माझं मन दुखविले नाहीं. मनास लागेल असा शब्द त्यांच्या तोंडावाटे केव्हाही बाहेर आला नाहीं. वादविवादाच्या आरंभी आम्ही खासगी बैठकीत बोलत असूं आणि मग कौन्सिलमध्यें उघड उघड सरबत्ती होई. मी व ते मित्र झालों. मी जेव्हां संयुक्त- प्रांताचा अधिकारी व्हावयाचे ठरले तेव्हां ते मला मित्रत्वाच्या नात्याने म्हणाले, 'I am very anxious that you should do well in the U. P., but you are sure to make blunders and what I want to do is to come and stay with you for a few days about half way through your term of office and to tell you, as the friend that I always have been, of the mistakes you made.' चिरोलसाहेबांनी गोखल्यांच्या सभ्यपणाविषयी, व मनाच्या उदारपणाविषयी प्रशंसापत्र दिले आहे ते असे :- 'It would be unfair not to give to Mr. Gokhale his full share of credit for the happy result, Though often an unrelenting critic of the administration, he struck from the first a note of studied moderation and restraint to which most of his political friends attuned their utterances. He naturally assumed the functions of the Leader of His Majesty's opposition, and he discharged them, not only with the ability which every one expected from him, but with the urbanity and self-restraint of a man conscious of his responsibilities as well as of his powers. His was among the Indian members not only the master-mind, but the dominant personality. The European members, on the other hand, showed themselves invariably courteous and good-tempered and not a few awakened corners were turned by little good-humoured banter. Nor was it unusual to see the Englishman come and sit down by the side of the Indian member to whose indictment he had just been replying, and in friendly conversation take all personal sting out of the controversy.'
