Indira Gandhi Quotes

Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 to 1984. Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, a hero in winning independence from Britain, Indira Gandhi was also a follower of Gandhi in her early years. Indira Gandhi was elected Prime Minister in 1966, and her administration was often controversial. After using the military to put an end to a Sikh separatist operation, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh security guards in 1984.

Selected Indira Gandhi Quotations

• You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.

• My grandfather once told me that there were 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.

• Martyrdom does not end something, it is only a beginning.

• You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

• There are moments in history when brooding tragedy and its dark shadows can be lightened by recalling great moments of the past.

• There exists no politician in India daring enough to attempt to explain to the masses that cows can be eaten. (1975 interview with Oriana Fallaci)

• I would say our greatest achievement is to have survived as a free and democratic nation.

• I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die today every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation. -- said the night before she was assassinated, October 30, 1984.

• To bear many children is considered not only a religious blessing but also an investment. The greater their number, some Indians reason, the more alms they can beg. (1975)

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About These Quotes

Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection © Jone Johnson Lewis 1997-2009. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote.

Citation information:
Jone Johnson Lewis. "Indira Gandhi Quotes." About Women's History. URL: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/indira_gandhi.htm . Date accessed: (today). (More on how to cite online sources including this page)