My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.
Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance… and courage.
To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.
I am proud that I spent the whole of my life in the service of my people … I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die, I can say, that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it.
Every new experience brings its own maturity and a greater clarity of vision.
People tend to forget their duties but remember their rights.
The purpose of life is to believe, to hope, and to strive.
Without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue. You have to have courage – courage of different kinds: first, intellectual courage, to sort out different values and make up your mind about which is the one which is right for you to follow. You have to have moral courage to stick up to that – no matter what comes in your way, no matter what the obstacle and the opposition is.
Women sometimes go too far, it’s true. But it’s only when you go too far that others listen.
To become capable, one must have faith in oneself.
Never forget that when we are silent, we are one. And when we speak we are two.
Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.
Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something.
Mankind will endure when the world appreciates the logic of diversity.
Life is a continuous process of adjustment.
I don’t mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation.
what is popular need not necessarily be right or wise.
Let’s not forget that in India the symbol of strength is a woman; the goddess Shakti.
Popularity is not a gurantee of quality.
The power to question is the basis of all human progress.
As I always say, I do not wish you an easy time, but I wish you that whatever difficulty you may have, you will overcome it.
Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy.
Ability is not always gauged by examination.
Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood… will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic.
Education is a liberating force, and in our age it is also a democratizing force, cutting across the barriers of caste and class, smoothing out inequalities imposed by birth and other circumstances.
