I firmly believe that unless one has tasted the bitter pill of failure, one cannot aspire enough for success.
— A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
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.
My 2020 Vision for India is to transform it into a developed nation. That cannot be abstract; it is a lifeline.
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.
One of the more difficult tasks for me as president was to decide on the issue of confirming capital punishment awarded by courts... to my surprise... almost all cases which were pending had a social and economic bias.
To become 'unique,' the challenge is to fight the hardest battle which anyone can imagine until you reach your destination.
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.
Smart habitation is an integrated area of villages and a city working in harmony and where the rural and urban divide has reduced to thin line.
India's trade deficit is because of excess of import over exports.
There are a number of women who have brought about immense change in society.
When you look at the light bulb above you, you remember Thomas Alva Edison. When the telephone bell rings, you remember Alexander Graham Bell. Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. When you see the blue sky, you think of Sir C.V. Raman.
The Bay of Bengal is hit frequently by cyclones. The months of November and May, in particular, are dangerous in this regard.
The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation.
For me, there is no such thing as a negative experience.
War is never a lasting solution for any problem.
No sanction can stand against ignited minds.
Today, India is a nuclear weapons state.
Where do the evils like corruption arise from? It comes from the never-ending greed. The fight for corruption-free ethical society will have to be fought against this greed and replace it with 'what can I give' spirit.
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.
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.
Ultimately, education in its real sense is the pursuit of truth. It is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.
If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.
If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.
The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise... Enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.
Medical costs are of concern, both in developing and developed countries.
New markets could be created by rural potentials, which could lead to rise in the employment.
Small aim is a crime.
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.
Rameswaram has, since antiquity, been an important pilgrimage destination.
God is everywhere.
For me, there are two types of people: the young and the experienced.
An economically peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka is the dream of youth of the nation. My message for the youth is to collectively work for an inclusively developed Sri Lanka.
Measuring nuclear yield depends on multiple parameters - the location and number of instruments, the geology of the area, the location of the seismic station in relation to the test site.
I was in high school when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled India's flag in New Delhi.
Regarding marriage, it - somehow, it didn't happen. One fellow in such a big family not getting married is not an issue.
When I took over as president, I studied the Constitution, and the more I studied it, the more I realised that it does not prevent the president of India from giving the nation a vision. So when I went and presented this vision in Parliament and in legislative assemblies; everyone welcomed it, irrespective of party affiliations.
I was a disadvantaged child from a non-educated family, yet I had the advantage of being in the company of great teachers.
Great teachers emanate out of knowledge, passion and compassion.
Small aim is a crime; have great aim.
We must get rid of fossil fuels by developing injection systems for automobiles, which can run on bio-fuel.
There is not enough funding for basic sciences in India. We have to invest in a big way, and I am pushing that idea.
Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling its spread.
All the scientists and technologists should work in appropriate region, specifically the rural technologies, to transform Indian rural sector.
I have met 18 million youth, and each wants to be unique.
The wealth of information now available at the click of a finger amazes me.
The government, whether state or central, is elected. That means we have a responsibility to elect the right kind of leaders.
Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.
All wars signify the failure of conflict resolution mechanisms, and they need post-war rebuilding of faith, trust and confidence.
In a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation.
Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it.
