Chanakya

“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.”

“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?”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.”

“The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.”

“One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others, can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.”

“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.”

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

“Purity of speech, of the mind, of the senses, and of a compassionate heart are needed by one who desires to rise to the divine platform.”

“As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.”

“There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.”

“Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.”

“The earth is supported by the power of truth; it is the power of truth that makes the sun shine and the winds blow; indeed all things rest upon truth.”

“The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.”

“The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.”