The Righteous Life Quotes

“      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.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“For instance, the education system, instead of going by textbook teaching, will promote creative and interactive self-learning—both formal and informal—with a focus on values, merit and quality. Workers, instead of being skilled or semi-skilled, will be knowledgeable, self-empowered and flexibly skilled. Types of work, instead of being structured and hardware driven, will be more flexible and software driven. Management styles will be delegative rather than directive.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“action.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“In any village or panchayat or district, we will always find at least a few corruption-free good human beings. We may even find pockets of corruption-free societies. If these can be identified and celebrated, we can create a nearly corruption-free state. The real-world examples of corruption-free individuals and groups and societies must be discussed publicly, so that they can become examples to be followed in the country. A nation can be corruption free only when its states are corruption free; a state can be corruption free only if its districts are corruption free; a district can be corruption free only if its panchayats are corruption free; a panchayat can be corruption free only if the people are corruption free; and people can be corruption free only if they have imbibed these values from their childhood.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Normally, when the petitions from the citizens reached the Public-1 Section, for twenty petitions to get a decision, it used to take seven days, but after the implementation of e-governance it took only five hours to clear forty petitions. I hope one can see such systems in many more state and central government offices.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Stories of perseverance and extraordinary courage always inspire me. This piece in a book called Everyday Greatness by Stephen R. Covey has remained with me ever since.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“A.T.: I understand that you had a lot of difficulty in arranging relief of about 700,000 for each family? A.P.J.: I have forgotten that. There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will be lost if you look back. Life, all through, is marked by points of no return—that is where I stood at that time.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“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 the sacrifices, toil and valour that and seldom shown or seen that truly makes a nation.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“When Dr Sarabhai gave shape to a vision to develop rockets in India, he was questioned, along with the political leadership, on the relevance of such a programme when a vast majority in the country was battling the demons of hunger and poverty. Yet, he was in agreement with Jawaharlal Nehru that India could only play a meaningful role in the affairs of the world if the country was self-reliant in every manner, and should be able to apply advanced technologies to alleviate real-life problems. Thus our space programme was never simply a desire to be one among an elite group of nations, neither was it a matter of playing catch-up with other countries. Rather, it was an expression of the need for developing indigenous capabilities in telecommunications, meteorology and education.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Then the Second World War was over and India’s freedom was imminent. ‘Indians will build their own India,’ declared Gandhiji. The whole country was filled with an unprecedented optimism. I asked my father’s permission to leave Rameswaram and study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram. He told me as if thinking aloud, ‘Abul! I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the Sun, alone and without a nest? You must forego your longing for the land of your memories to move into the dwelling place of your greater desires; our love will not bind you nor will our needs hold you.’ He quoted Khalil Gibran to my hesitant mother, ‘Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“In his own time, in his own place, in what he really is, and in the stage he has reached—good or bad—every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine Being. So why be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems? When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“How could they afford to pay the sum of 600 that was the admission fee at MIT?”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“British. My mother”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“British.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“one,”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“concede defeat in the mind, he seems”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“India”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“My government has taken a special initiative for Africa, pledging $ 200 million in the form of credit line as part of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) Scheme. My government has also announced a second scheme TEAM-9 initiative with a certain number of African countries with an outlay of $ 500 million. These initiatives aim at the long-term economic development of certain African countries.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“NCERT has prepared the national curriculum framework under Prof. Yash Pal’s leadership”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of independent India transformed India into a democracy. Dr C. Subramaniam’s Agriculture Vision enabled India to realize the Green Revolution. Dr Varghese Kurien’s Milk Vision led to India’s White Revolution. Prof. Vikram Sarabhai’s Space Vision enabled India to join the space club. Dr Homi Bhabha’s Nuclear Vision led India to become a nuclear power.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Generating transmission and distribution institutions should not be loaded with any subsidy towards electricity. Whatever subsidy is required to be given for economically vulnerable sections of the society should be directly given by the government as is being proposed in respect of kerosene and diesel.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“India has 30,000 MW of captive power at present located in different industries. The suggestion is, we can increase this captive power in various forms to 60,000 MW (captive power generated by future industries) with a provision to feed into the grid unutilized captive generation capacity for meeting volatile supply of large scale renewable energy systems. All the captive power is powered by diesel fuel. By the new technology of emulsification which is an Indian innovation, 40 per cent fuel can be saved.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“Reducing distribution loss: We can reduce distribution loss substantially by introducing high voltage distribution system with appropriate modification of existing distribution system. This strategy is already prevalent in some of the distribution companies.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“My suggestion is the necessity of a national policy to provide grid independent solar panel houses to these dwellings which can be extended to other 140 million houses gradually. Also the street lights can be provided on community based solar panels in villages, towns and cities. This will bring to India a vibrant solar panel industry right from innovative development, efficiency enhancement, production, distribution, marketing and maintenance of trouble free solar energy system as a business. This integrated business solution will bring down the cost of solar power generation and also distribution loss. The action of creating solar paneled houses and street lights will release nearly 50,000 to 60,000 MW of power for use by various sectors of the economy propelling national growth. It will also be useful for providing low cost electricity to other developing nations in the world.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“India has approximately 200 million houses out of which 60 million houses do not have access to electricity.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“only 11 per cent of electric power generation is dependent on oil and natural gas which is mostly imported at enormous cost. Only 1 per cent of oil is used every year for producing electricity. However, power generation to the extent of 10 per cent is dependent on high cost gas supplies.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“solar power generation of one of our states in western India creating 654.8 MW of solar energy power within a short time and started feeding into the grid. Another state in the south aims to add 3,000 MW of solar power in three years’ time. The reverse bidding process introduced by the Electricity Authority of India with the ceiling of rupees 15 per unit has brought in competition all of which is an advantage for the creation of clean green power. Now with increased competition, the state electricity boards are able to get the energy at an attractive price of rupees seven per unit. This may get further reduced when large scale installation and capacity addition takes place in a number of states and union territories. Such innovations should be multiplied and applied in all areas of energy production and management.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“The falling prices of PV panels, mostly from China but also from the U.S., have coincided with the growing cost of grid power in India.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“89 per cent of input used for power generation today is indigenous, from coal (55 per cent), diesel and gas (11 per cent), hydroelectricity (21 per cent), nuclear power (2 per cent) and renewable (11 per cent). Solar energy segment contributes just 0.5 per cent of our energy production today.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

“We are in a good state with respect to generation of wind energy. Within the last decade, we have reached a capacity of generating over 11,000 MW through large scale wind farms. With this experience, it is possible to enhance our capacity to 45,000 MW by using low wind energy windmills by 2030.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam