The Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi was one of the strongest leaders of the nation. She was born on November 19, 1917 in the wealthy family of Jawaharlal Nehru. Her birth name was Indira Priyadarshini Nehru and nickname was Indu which meant the one who rules the bright light of the Moon and it perfectly matched her personality.
Indira Gandhi was the first and only female Prime Minister of India and was known for her aggressive actions against many issues like unleashing the Indian Forces against Pakistan and making Bangladesh a different country, executing operation Blue Star and even declaring Emergency in 1975. She served as the Prime Minister of India in two spells from 1966 to 1977 and then again in 1980 till 1984 before she was assassinated by her own bodyguards.
Indira Gandhi was the socialist undisputed mass leader of the country. The historical figure was known for her heart winning speeches and motivating lines. Her slogan “Gareebi Hatao” became a household word in India.
Let’s have a look at her most inspiring, anticipating and beautiful quotes which amazes millions.
- “You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.”
- “Winning or losing of the election is less important than strengthening the country.”
- “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.”
- “I am not a person to be pressured – by anybody or any nation.”
- “All the people who fought for freedom were my heroes. I mean, that was the sort of story I liked reading freedom struggles and so on.”
- “This is why we feel that democracy’s important: because democracy allows you to have small explosions and therefore avoid the bigger explosions.”
- “If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.”
- “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”
- “Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood… will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic.”
- “There is not love where there is no will.”
- “The people have nothing to fear of me; people have never feared me.”
- “If I see something dirty or untidy, I have to clean it up.”
- “Happiness is a state of mind, you know. I don’t think you are permanently happy. One is happy about certain things and not so happy about others.”
- “Without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue. You have to have courage – courage of different kinds: first, intellectual courage, to sort out different values and make up your mind about which is the one which is right for you to follow. You have to have moral courage to stick up to that – no matter what comes in your way, no matter what the obstacle and the opposition is.”
- “Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.”
- I cannot understand how anyone can be an Indian and not be proud.
- “Martyrdom does not end something, it only a beginning.”
- “Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic.”
The Woman of the Millennium, the title she got for her unforgettable contributions to the nation. She has been the Prime Minister of India for the second-long period of time after her father and first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. She followed his footsteps well which made her one of the greatest leaders of the country.
