A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

“My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.”

“Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me.”

“God is everywhere.”

“Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.”

“Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?”

“In a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation.”

“Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.”

“The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation.”

“I was willing to accept what I couldn't change.”

“Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level.”

“One lesson that every nation can learn from China is to focus more on creating village-level enterprises, quality health services and educational facilities.”

“We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.”

“As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me.”

“As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me.”

“The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation.”

“For success of any mission, it is necessary to have creative leadership. Creative leadership is vital for government, non-governmental organisations as well as for industries.”

“Real education enhances the dignity of a human being and increases his or her self-respect. If only the real sense of education could be realized by each individual and carried forward in every field of human activity, the world will be so much a better place to live in.”

“All wars signify the failure of conflict resolution mechanisms, and they need post-war rebuilding of faith, trust and confidence.”

“I am really overwhelmed. Everywhere both in Internet and in other media, I have been asked for a message. I was thinking what message I can give to the people of the country at this juncture.”

“We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilizational heritage.”

“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.”

“Many, many citizens have also expressed the same wish. It only reflects their love and affection for me and the aspiration of the people. I am really overwhelmed by this support. This being their wish, I respect it. I want to thank them for the trust they have in me.”

“I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father; from my mother, I inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness as did my three brothers and sisters.”

“I wonder why some people tend to see science as something which takes man away from God. As I look at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation.”

“God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.”

“… the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.”

“One of the important functions of prayer, I believe, is to act as a stimulus to creative ideas. Within the mind are all the resources required for successful living. Ideas are present in the consciousness, which when released and given scope to grow and take shape, can lead to successful events. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps to tap and develop these powers.”

“Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me.”

“My impression of the American people can be summarized by a quotation from Benjamin Franklin, "Those things that hurt instruct!" I realised that people in this part of the world meet their problems head on. They attempt to get out of them rather than suffer them.”

“I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. I have always supported learning on the part of my team members by paying vigilant attention to each of their attempts, be they successful or unsuccessful.”

“It's when children are 15, 16 or 17 that they decide whether they want to be a doctor, an engineer, a politician or go to the Mars or moon. That is the time they start having a dream, and that's the time you can work on them. You can help them shape their dreams.”

“I was (and am) a terrible conversationist but consider myself a good communicator.”

“Ultimately, education in its real sense is the pursuit of truth. It is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.”

“To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. Individuals like myself are often called 'workaholics'. I question this term because that implies a pathological condition or an illness. If I do what I desire more than anything else in the world and which makes me happy, such work can never be an aberration.”

“Total commitment is the common denominator among all successful men and women.”

“Regarding marriage, it - somehow, it didn't happen. One fellow in such a big family not getting married is not an issue.”

“Climbing to the top demands strength, whether to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.”

“Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.”

“Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.”

“To me, the level of responsibility is measured by one's ability to confront the decision-making process without any delay or distraction.”

“Happiness, satisfaction, and success in life depend on making the right choices, the winning choices. There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from the malevolent ones and choose correctly between them.”

“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”

“My view is that at a younger age your optimism is more and you have more imagination etc. You have less bias.”

“Perhaps the main motive behind my isolation was my desire to escape from the demands of relationships, which I consider very difficult in comparison to making rockets. All I desired was to be true to my way of life, to uphold the science of rocketry in my country and to retire with a clean conscience.”

“It has been my personal experience that the true flavour, the real fun, the continuous excitement of work lie in the process of doing it rather than in having it over and done with.”

“A person with belief never grovels before anyone, whining and whimpering that it's all too much, that he lacks support, that he is being treated unfairly. Instead, such a person tackes problems head on and then affirms, 'As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me.'”

“All wars signify the failure of conflict resolution mechanisms, and they need post-war rebuilding of faith, trust and confidence.”

“I never used any outside influence to advance my career. All I had was the inner urge to seek more within myself. The key to my motivation has always been to look at how far I had still to go rather than how far I had come.”

“This is my belief: that through difficulties and problems God gives us the opportunity to grow. So when your hopes and dreams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage, you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins.”

“Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.”

“Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.”

“I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure place in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness.”

“Are you aware of your inner signals? Do you trust them? Do you have the focus of control over your life in your own hands? Take this from me, the more decisions you can make avoiding external pressures, which will constantly try to manipulate and immobilise you, the better your life will be, the better your society will become. The entire nation will benifit from having strong, inner-directed people as their leaders.”

“Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain this right, you will have to be willing to take the social or external risks involved in ignoring pressures to do things the way others say they should be done.”

“Wherever I go, as long as I get a hot vegetable dish, I am okay. If I am in Gujarat, I have Gujarati food. If it's Shillong, it's northeastern.”

“If we are not free, no one will respect us.”

“For success of any mission, it is necessary to have creative leadership. Creative leadership is vital for government, non-governmental organisations as well as for industries.”

“We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream!”

“We have not invaded anyone. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.”

“This will be the greatest legacy that we can proudly leave behind for our next generation, let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.”

“No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.”

“My school was a happy place. All of us who started our schooling there completed our studies till the eighth standard. I don't remember even a single person dropping out. These days, when i visit schools, both big and small, all across the country, i tell them that true quality does not come from a great building or great facilities or great advertisements. It happens when education is imparted with love by great teachers.”

“Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.”

“Great teachers emanate out of knowledge, passion and compassion.”

“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”

“My view is that at a younger age your optimism is more and you have more imagination etc. You have less bias.”

“We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.”

“Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place - that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realise the great life.”

“Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?”

“If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.”

“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.”

“If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.”

“Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.”

“There are a number of women who have brought about immense change in society.”

“The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise... Enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.”

“Small aim is a crime; have great aim.”

“The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise... Enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.”

“Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level.”

“Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?”

“Over the years, I had nurtured the hope to be able to fly; to handle a machine as it rose higher and higher in the stratosphere was my dearest dream.”

“God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.”

“For me, there is no such thing as a negative experience.”

“The world has today 546 nuclear plants generating electricity. Their experience is being continuously researched, and feedback should be provided to all. Nuclear scientists have to interact with the people of the nation, and academic institutions continuously update nuclear power generation technology and safety.”

“God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.”

“For each person I lost I found a new layer of grief to cover myself with, and each time I tried to bring something of their essence into my own being - be it unconditional love, kindness and piety.”

“Ultimately, education in its real sense is the pursuit of truth. It is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.”

“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.”

“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”

“I firmly believe that unless one has tasted the bitter pill of failure, one cannot aspire enough for success.”

“You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear.”

“When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.”

“Great teachers emanate out of knowledge, passion and compassion.”

“The government, whether state or central, is elected. That means we have a responsibility to elect the right kind of leaders.”

“Poetry comes from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.”

“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”

“Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.”

“Regarding marriage, it - somehow, it didn't happen. One fellow in such a big family not getting married is not an issue.”

“Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.”

“Medical costs are of concern, both in developing and developed countries.”