Chanakya > Quotes

“A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.”
― Chanakya

“The arrow shot by the archer may or may not kill a single person. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb.”
― Kautilya

“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”
― Chanakya

“Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya niti

“As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.”
― Chanakya

“Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.”
― Kautilya

“Just as it is impossible to know when a swimming fish is drinking water, so it is impossible to find out when a government servant is stealing money”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra

“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.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti

“Every neighbouring state is an enemy and the enemy’s enemy is a friend.”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra

“Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti

“Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.”
― Chanakya, The Arthashastra

“Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.”
― chanakya

“The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers it’s rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.”
― Chanakya

“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?”
― Kautilya

“There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of a scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti, Malayalam Translation

“Dharma is law in its widest sense—spiritual, moral, ethical and temporal. Every individual, whether the ruler or the ruled, is governed by his or her own dharma. To the extent that society respected dharma, society protected itself; to the extent society offended it, society undermined”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra

“That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up and so should relatives who are without affection.”
― Chanakya

“Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere.”
― Chanakya

“It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment's grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one's life.”
― Chanakya

“for in the absence of a magistrate (dandadharabhave), the strong will swallow the weak; but under his protection, the weak resist the strong.”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra

“God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Niti: Philosophy of Chanakya

“Either Scholarship or Death will be my refuge.
पाण्डित्यं शरणं वा मे मृत्युर्वा॥”
― Chanakya, Chanakya niti

“There is no enemy like infatuation and fire like wrath.”
― Chanakya

“If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation?”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Niti: Philosophy of Chanakya

“He who lives in our mind is near though he may actually be far away; but he who is not in our heart is far though he may really be nearby.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Niti: Philosophy of Chanakya

“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.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti

“mentioned only in the two lists and his duties are not spelt out anywhere. It is possible that this designation is a retention from earlier texts and, in the Arthashastra, is used only to represent a higher grade for salary and”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra

“बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति के लिए आवश्यक है कि वह अपने शत्रु पक्ष को सदा किसी-न-किसी कष्ट में उलझाए रखे। इससे वे कभी भी उसके लिए मुसीबत या संकट उत्पन्न नहीं कर पाएँगे।”
― Acharya Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti

“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.”
― Chanakya, Chanakya Neeti

“not be treated as the main one at a given time; only one of the neighbours is the main enemy. The other difference is that, in {7.6.1}, the enemy is to be outmanoeuvred but in {7.7.1} a neighbour’s help is to be accepted.”
― Kautilya, The Arthashastra