Chanakya Quotes
Don't judge the future of a person based on his present conditions, becausetime has the power to change black coal to shiny diamond.
Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.
There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; there is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy.
A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.
A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.
A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night.
Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.
The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.
A man attains greatness by his merits, not simply by occupying an exalted seat. Can we call a crow an eagle (garuda) simply because he sits on the top of a tall building.
Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.
He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.
Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends.
There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.
Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.
Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.
We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.
One who is in search of knowledge should give up the search of pleasure and the one who is in search of pleasure should give up the search of knowledge.
The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep.
What good is a cow that neither gives milk nor conceives? Similarly, what is the value of the birth of a son if he becomes neither learned nor a pure devotee of the Lord?
The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.
Rain which falls upon the sea is useless; so is food for one who is satiated; in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy; and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.
What good can the scriptures do to a man who has no sense of his own? Of what use is as mirror to a blind man?
Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.
Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
Union in privacy (with one's wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow.
Low class men desire wealth;middle class men both wealth and respect; but the noble, honour only; hence honour is the noble man's true wealth.
Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.
Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, comes of Her own accord where fools are not respected, grain is well stored up, and the husband and wife do not quarrel.
As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do?
The happiness and peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity is not attained by greedy persons restlessly moving here and there.
A person becomes great not be sitting on some high seat, but through higher qualities. Can a crow become an eagle by simply sitting on the top of a palatial building?
Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men.
Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
O wise man! Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others. The water of the sea received by the clouds is always sweet.
