Debashis Chatterjee > Quotes

“Both the divine and the devil can sit together within a human being.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“To win in the battles of life, a hero needs to constantly focus on the goal rather than on the obstacles in his path.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“The Yaksha asked: What is the greatest wonder? Yudhishtira responded: Day after day we see so many people die. Yet, we the living believe that we will live for ever. O Lord, what can be a greater wonder? Krishna”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“A hero's talent lies latent within the self. It sleeps within him as seeds of possibilities. When discovered and nurtured, the seeds grow and flower. This flowering of his talent is a hero's true vocation.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“Mastery is more than the co-ordination of muscle and bone. It is about bringing the whole of us to what we do”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“A quiet reflective mind is a wholesome mind. It is an inbound mind. This kind of mind is not only capable of deep contemplation – it is also capable of intense action. The centre of a cyclone is very quiet. It is from this centre that the cyclone attains its power. A revolving fan is still at the tip. It is here that motion is intensified to the point of stillness. A mind that has learnt to slow itself down is indeed a capable mind. For this, our minds need to periodically withdraw from the world of sensations. Like a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell – a sane mind goes inwards in search of its quiet centre.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, The Other 99%: You Can Dare To Lead

“So how about the first step?’
‘The first step is the most critical step, as the first button of your coat. If you get that wrong, the whole alignment of buttons is gone for a toss.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“Leadership is much more than hitting the bull’s eye. There is a large human component in leadership behaviour Young managers have to explore hitting deeper chords in human nature rather than just hitting targets.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“The only way middle managers can survive is by virtue of their expertise which cannot be substituted by machines anymore. In short, organizations will preside over the funeral of most middle managers in the times to come.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“Great teaching is the ability to distinguish between what can and needs to be explained and what cannot be explained. The working of a computer needs to be explained as it is made by the human mind. But a butterfly need not always be explained. A butterfly has to be seen with gleaming eyes of wonder as it is a natural expression of life and not of the mind. Great teaching is more like a craft than a technique. To evoke the curiosity in the learner, to care for the learner and to take the learner on a journey of discovery are some of the most critical elements of this craft.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Management is about the position; leadership is a disposition that goes beyond positions. Managers minimize risks; leaders maximize contribution. Managers work through structures of stability; leaders work through dynamic change. While managers are defined by their position, leaders can emerge from any position.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“The most significant role of a leader is to make the invisible clearly visible. Inspiration is invisible but inspired action is visible. Truth is invisible but trustworthy behaviour is visible. A leader has to constantly cross the bridge between what is unseen and that which is seen in order to connect with his followers.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Timeless Leadership: 18 Leadership Sutras from the Bhagvad Gita

“Vision has a direct link with the creative process. Vision and creation go hand in hand. Vision belongs to the world of the mind. Creation happens in the world of matter. But there is a connection between these two worlds. In fact, one cannot exist without the other.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, The Other 99%: You Can Dare To Lead

“Learning is not about accumulation but about accommodation of knowledge. Learning is the art of creating space so that the learner can see the movement of knowledge in space and time. Knowledge of yesterday may not be relevant today. Knowledge of the past may not be relevant to the future. Knowledge used properly and appropriately, is learning. Knowledge should never be hoarded. It should rather be used like a disposable tissue. The movement of open source learning across the world today tells us that learning like love cannot be divided. Learning can only be multiplied and shared.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Power in an organization is the capacity generated by relationships.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“Three of the most unused critical tools in the arsenal for growth of new managers are listening, observing and failing.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“The greatest magic happens in our life when our perception shifts”
― Debashis Chatterjee, One Minute Wisdom: Transformative Coaching for Life, Learning and Leadership

“Higher virtues are at some elemental level nothing more or less than deeply appreciating laws of nature that enable harmony and functioning of life—see reality as it is (commitment to the truth), take no more than you need (waste not, want not), do not control unnecessarily (hierarchical power should be used only when local solutions are not possible, what 17th-century philosophers called the principle of ‘subsidiarity’) and balance action with non-action (the power of presence, true listening and non-intervention).”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“Arjuna wakes up from his delusion to discover the deepest secret of the hero’s journey. Where he thought that he was only his human body, he discovered that he was the divine spirit; where he thought he was just a fighter who fought his enemies, he discovered that he was a warrior who had only himself to conquer; where he thought that he has traveled the length and breadth of his world, he discovered that he was only traveling the depths of his consciousness; where he thought he was alone in his hero’s journey, he discovered that he was one with all there was in existence. Thus, Arjuna lived and died as a hero — in his own time and for all times.”
― Debashis Chatterjee

“Reality is not our thoughts and feelings about things. Many of us, for example, think that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. In reality, the Sun neither rises nor sets. We on Earth just move closer to the Sun or farther away from it. Most of us do not see reality as it is but rather as we are. That is waht Krishna is telling Arjuna: To change your reality, change the mental filters through which you look - your own perspective. Just as white building when viewed through red glass looks red, similarly, reality as it is can be distorted by the colours of emotions in the mind.”
― Debashis Chatterjee

“Technology does not create learning just as a hammer does not make a house. Technology simplifies or amplifies our learning capacity. A microscope enables us to see the micro world. A telescope helps us see the macro world. It is not the microscope or telescope that sees. The two instruments are just accessories for our eyes. It is we who see through our human capacity of visual perception. Too much obsession with technology is like trying to design a house with a hammer in hand.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Expertise is about qualification and experience. Excellence is about quality of mind and awareness. Where expertise fails, the quest for excellence begins. Excellence often begins with examination of our own minds. Professional excellence is a result of developing a quality mind through constant awareness. Experts tend to think of themselves as those who have finally reached their goal. Those in pursuit of excellence are always beginners. Excellence is a journey without a finish line. It begins every day with a new awakening and a new insight that enriches the mind. Come, let’s begin!”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Commitment is nothing but a call to action.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Invincible Arjuna

“Leaders search very deep for their identity. A great identity yields great possibilities in life. A great identity gives greater action choices. A search for our true identity is a kind of talent search within our own selves. There are talents that are latent. They sleep within us as seeds of possibilities. When we discover and nurture these seeds they grow and flower. This flowering is a leader’s true vocation.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, The Other 99%: You Can Dare To Lead

“Success comes when we calm down and let our mind do what we already know how to do.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, One Minute Wisdom: Transformative Coaching for Life, Learning and Leadership

“There is a difference between a learned man and a man of learning. A learned man is tied to the knowledge of the past. A man of learning is curious about the present. A learned man is bent over with dead wood of knowledge, like an aging tree. A man of learning is vibrant and inquisitive, like a green twig breaking out of the soil after the rains”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Truth is that aspect of our being that is right and secure in itself. Truth does not need the support of anything outside of itself. Truth is Self-referral. This means that truth exists in reference to itself. When a timeless leader relentlessly pursues the path of truth, she is able to realize that all that she needs to know already exists in herself. Truthfulness makes a leader spontaneous, like a a flowing river or a blazing fire. Such a leader is not caught in the mind's dogma or prejudices. Indeed, truth is liberating - it liberates both the leader and the follower.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Timeless Leadership: 18 Leadership Sutras from the Bhagvad Gita

“Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. (Gibran 1970)”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Karma Sutras : Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times

“Leaders co-create their reality not just by reflection but by asking the right questions. In the creative process, a question is a quest. Answers are dead ends. An answer is a blind alley through which no further movement of the mind is possible. When leaders live in questions they are able to navigate the complex problems of life and arrive at simple yet profound solutions. Complexities of the life arise because of our normal thinking process is not able to grasp our reality. So we need creativity in thinking. Creativity is a discontinuity in our thinking process. Creativity comes with sustained questioning of our old assumptions about reality.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, The Other 99%: You Can Dare To Lead

“Human dynamism cannot be manipulated or switched on like that of a machine. It cannot be engineered or programmed. Human beings are created, not constructed – that is why they love to create their own reality. Human action cannot be explained by the laws of thermodynamics or by that of molecular biology. The wellspring of human action comes from the human spirit. The dwelling space of this spirit is our being.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, The Other 99%: You Can Dare To Lead