Ratan Tata, India’s Visionary Business Leader, Passed Away at 86; Here are Some of his Notable Quotes of Wisdom

Ratan Naval Tata, the Former Chairman of Tata Sons and Chairman Emeritus of Tata Group, has passed away in a Mumbai hospital after being in critical condition. The Chairman of Tata Sons, N. Chandrasekaran, shared the news on Wednesday in a late night statement, and many throughout India and the world have offered their condolences to India’s most followed and loved visionary.

Ratan Tata (1937 – 2024) – India’s True Visionary

Born in 1937, to Soonoo and Naval Tata, brought up by his grandmother – Navajbai Tata, and after completing a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Cornell University, followed by a Management course from Harvard University, Ratan Tata joined Tata Group in 1962 as an Assistant in Tata Industries after working in a few other companies for a brief period, and went on to become the Chairman of the 100 billion dollar steel-to-software conglomerate in 1991 and ran it until 2012 (and from 2016 – 2017 too as Interim Chairman).

Through out this long span in his career, notably Ratan Tata had founded Tata Services in 1996, took Tata Consultancy Services public in 2004, acquired British brands Jaguar and Land Rover in the same year 2004, and made Tata Nano – world’s cheapest car priced INR 1 lakh in 2009. He also continued heading the brand’s charitable trusts and later became Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Motors, Tata Industries, Tata Chemicals, and Tata Steel.

Ratan Tata also takes with him the title of ‘The Most Followed Entrepreneur in India’, as he has got more than 13 million followers on X and almost 10 million followers on Instagram. Yes, he remained very active through out social media, and shared his views via posts about animal rights and for Indian citizens.

India also honored Ratan Tata with Padma Bhushan (India’s third highest civilian award) in 2000, followed by Padma Vibhushan (India’s second highest civilian award) in 2008. After knowing his death, Narendra Modi, Sundar Pichai, Rahul Gandhi, Anand Mahindra, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, and many other world leaders have shared their condolences through their social media handles.

Here are some quotes of wisdom from Ratan Tata that you can take along your side in life, which truly portrays his vision and ideas of being a good human and attaining success.

Ratan Tata – 10 Most Notable Quotes

1. “None can destroy iron, but its own rust can. Likewise, none can destroy a person, but their own mindset can.”
2. “Be persistent and resilient in the face of challenges, for they are the building blocks of success.”
3. “Take the stones people throw at you, and use them to build a monument.”
4. “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.”
5. “One day you will realize that material things mean nothing. All that matters is the well-being of the people you love.”
6. “Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going because a straight line even in an ECG means we are not alive.”
7. “Never underestimate the power of kindness, empathy, and compassion in your interactions with others.”
8. “The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are.”
9. “I don’t believe in taking right decisions, I take decisions and then make them right.”
10. “Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, create your own opportunities.”