Indira Gandhi Birthday: 10 Powerful Quotes By India’s First Woman Prime Minister
Born on November 19, 1917, Indira Gandhi served as India’s PM for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 77, and then from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
New Delhi: Indira Gandhi, the first woman prime minister of India — and the only one so far — served for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 77, and a fourth term for four years until her assassination in 1984.
Born on November 19, 1917, Indira was the daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of Independent India.
She became the PM in 1966, after the sudden death of then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The Congress lost power in 1977 under her leadership as public anger was evident against the two years of emergency rule imposed by her in 1975. In the next elections in 1980, however, Indira Gandhi returned to power with a landslide victory.
Indira is known as one of the most popular prime ministers India has seen. The Green Revolution, which made a food-deficient India one of the world's leading agricultural nations, came during her tenure. The 1971 war with Pakistan, which liberated Bangladesh, also added to her popularity.
On her 104th birth anniversary, here are some of the most inspiring quotes of Indira Gandhi.
“Education is a liberating force, and in our age it is also a democratizing force, cutting across the barriers of caste and class, smoothing out inequalities imposed by birth and other circumstances.”
“The meek may one day inherit the earth, but not the headlines.”
“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work, and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition there.”
“You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.”
“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”
“You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and vibrantly alive in repose.”
“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.”
“Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something.”
“The purpose of life is to believe, to hope, and to strive.”
“A nation's strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own and not in what it can borrow from others.”
“Have a bias toward action – let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away”
*All quotes sourced from goodreads.com
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