My Journey Quotes

“came. Despite the huge challenge, it was also a project right after my heart and fired my imagination too. We moved from the design”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“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.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“that there is a larger energy and force that can crush our ambitions and plans in the blink of an eye, and that the only way to survive is to face your troubles and rebuild your life.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Let craft, ambition, spite, Be quenched in Reason's night, Till weakness turn to might, Till what is dark be light, Till what is wrong be right!”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“(Think of rising higher. Let it be your only thought. Even if your object be not attained, the thought itself will have raised you.)”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Each setback teaches us a new facet of life and something about our own personalities. 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 realize that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“I still remember the ache in my heart as I attempted to make sense of what had happened. When a dearly held desire begins to break up, one can feel nothing but despair and emptiness as one tries to come to terms with the end of a dream. I could not bear to be indoors after seeing the result. I had to go out for air and be in the open, because all around me the walls seemed to close in. I walked around for a while till I reached the edge of a cliff. I stood there looking down at the shimmering waters of a lake and wondered what I should do next. Plans needed to be changed and priorities reassessed. I decided to go to Rishikesh for a few days and seek a new way forward.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“That day I learnt two lessons: a teacher who has his or her student's progress in mind is the best possible friend, because the teacher knows how to make sure that you excel. And second, there is no such thing as an impossible deadline. I have worked on many tough assignments, some of which had the country's top leaders watching over my work, but the assurance I gained in my capabilities at MIT thanks to Professor Srinivasan, helped me later in life too.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“See the flower, how generously it distributes perfume and honey. When its work is done, it falls away quietly. Try to be like the flower, unassuming despite all its qualities.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“love poured to the child…struggle…more struggle…bitter tears… then sweet tears…and finally a life as beautiful and fulfilling as seeing the birth of the full moon.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“but there really is no difficulty one cannot overcome if there is determination in the heart.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“There is a divine power that looks over us, that gently lifts us from our sadness and failures and miseries. If we open our minds and let it, it will guide us to our true place. Release yourself from the bindings that limit you and let that power overtake your mind, and that's when you will be on the road to true happiness and peace.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Ulluvathellam uyarvullal matratu Tallinum tellamai nirttut (Think of rising higher. Let it be your only thought. Even if your object be not attained, the thought itself will have raised you.)”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Don't pretend to be a candle, be a moth. Know the power hidden in serving. We seem to have got stuck with external forms of politics and mistaking them to be nation-building. It is sacrifices, toil and valour that are seldom seen that truly make a nation.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“that it does not matter how large or small your sphere of activity is, what counts finally is the commitment that you bring to the job that has been ordained for you in this life.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“my mother's tender touch and sensitive upbringing of her children I found a world of love and kindness.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“mind is unbelievably elastic. It can expand as much as you let it, and once it opens up, there are no barriers—the belief in yourself that comes as a result is something no one can take away from you.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“He kept room for errors and instead tried to analyze how we could make them manageable, so that we ruled the project, and not our fear of failure.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“And finally, that great quality of his—to look beyond failures.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“A third quality that I observed in Dr Sarabhai, and which I have tried to incorporate in my own way of working, was an ability to build teams.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Dr Sarabhai's leadership qualities were such that he could inspire even the junior-most person in an organization with a sense of purpose. In my opinion, there were some basic qualities that made him a great leader. Let me mention them one by one. Firstly, he was always ready to listen. In Indian institutions, what often hinders growth is the reluctance of those at the top to listen to their juniors and subordinates. There is a belief that all decisions and ideas must come in a top-to-down manner.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Joy is fleeting, whereas true happiness and calm can come to us only after intense pain, when we have confronted ourselves in the mirror of our souls and understood the self.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“When we obtain positions of power over others, we believe that we have reached the pinnacle of success. But it is at this time that we need to look back and be aware of the multitudes on whose hard work and sacrifices we have built our castles.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Death is not something to be afraid of, and I have never seen it that way. Yet, the sadness that it brings cannot be shrugged away.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“does not matter how large or small your sphere of activity is, what counts finally is the commitment that you bring to the job that has been ordained for you in this life.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Our country needs citizens who trust their individuality, who cannot be manipulated by people with unscrupulous agendas.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Books were always my friends Last more than fifty years Books gave me dreams Dreams resulted in missions Books helped me confidently take up the missions Books gave me courage at the time of failures Good books were for me angels Touched my heart gently at the time Hence I ask young friends to have books as friends Books are your good friends.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.' His advice”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions

“Of knowing that there is a larger energy and force that can crush our ambitions and plans in the blink of an eye, and that the only way to survive is to face your troubles and rebuild your life.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions