How can anybody who is the head of a nation afford not to be a prag-matist?

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.

The civil servant is primarily the master of the short-term solution.

India wants to avoid a war at all costs but it is not a one-sided affair, you cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

“Every democratic system evolves its own conventions. It is not only the water but the banks which make the river.

The greatest of all contraceptives is affluence.

It is our duty to create a social milieu in which the young and the socially weak feel that the present and future belong to them.

There are moments in history when brooding tragedy and its dark shadows can be lightened by recalling great moments of the past.

Nothing can convince me that people are at one with their work unless they’re joyous about it.

To me the function of politics is to make possible the desirable.

The meek may one day inherit the earth, but not the headlines.

Mankind will endure when the world appreciates the logic of diversity.

Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance... and courage.

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.

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.

When I was young, I was very selfish, now not any more.

The fact that I have an ideology, however, doesn't mean I'm indoctrinated.

Let's not forget that in India the symbol of strength is a woman; the goddess Shakti.