I have listed down all the quotes of Chanakya. These are compiled from internet only.
·
The wise man should
restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due
knowledge of his place, time and ability.
·
If one has a good disposition, what other virtue
is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation?
·
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.
·
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 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.
·
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.
·
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.
·
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?
·
Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing,
but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.
·
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.
·
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 happiness and peace attained by those
satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity is not attained by greedy
persons restlessly moving here and there.
·
As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes
a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.
·
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the
direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.
·
Test a servant while in the discharge of his
duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in
misfortune.
·
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.
·
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.
·
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.
·
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.
·
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 man is great by deeds, not by birth.
·
Education is the best friend. An educated person
is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.
·
Books are as useful to a stupid person as a
mirror is useful to a blind person.
·
Never make friends with people who are above or
below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
·
As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and
destroy it.
·
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.
·
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 world's biggest power is the youth and
beauty of a woman.
·
The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your
secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.
·
God is not present in idols. Your feelings are
your god. The soul is your temple.
·
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.
·
Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should
pretend to be venomous.
·
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.
·
There is some self-interest behind every
friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter
truth.
·
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.
