Chanakya Quotes - Popular Quotes from Chanakya Neeti

Chanakya was an Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC 75 BC. Chanakya is also known as Kautilya, the author of Arthashastra (Economics), or rather The Arthashastra identifies its author by the name Kautilya. He is also reffered to by the name Vishnugupta. He is known for his wisdom, and his teachings in statesmanship is unparalleled. Here are some of his wisdom quotes from chanakya neeti.

Chanakya Quotes

Here is a collection of some of the popular quotes by Chanakya.

1. A man is great by deeds, not by birth.
2. A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.
3. A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night.
4. 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.
5. 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?
6. As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.
7. Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. O 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.
15. 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.
16. The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you. If you cannot keep your secrets with you then how can you trust others to keep them secret?
17. 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.
18. The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.
19. A rich man has many friends.
20. A woman is four times as shy, six times as brave and eight times as lusty as a man.

21. An egoist can be won over by being respected, a crazy person can be won over by allowing him to behave in an insane manner and a wise person can be won over by truth.
22. As centesimal droppings will fill a pot so also are knowledge, virtue and wealth gradually obtained.
23. As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.
24. Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.
25. 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.
26. Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.
27. Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.
28. Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.
29. God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.
30. He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.
31. If you get to learn something even from the worst of creatures, don't hesitate.
32. In a state where the ruler lives like a common man, the citizens live like kings do. And in the state where the ruler lives like a king, the citizens live like beggars do.
33. Jealousy is another name for failure.
34. Never go on a long journey alone.
35. Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
36. Once you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.
37. One who is in search of knowledge should give up the search of pleasure and the one who is in search of pleasure should give up the search of knowledge.
38. The biggest guru-mantra is: "Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you".
39. The four greatest enemies of a man are - the father who has taken a loan, the characterless mother, the beautiful but promiscuous wife and the stupid child.
40. The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.
41. The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.
42. There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.
43. 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.
44. Whores don't live in company of poor men, birds don't build nests on a tree that doesn't bear fruits and citizens never support a weak administration.

Wise men should never go into a country where there are no means of earning one's livelihood, where the people have no dread of anybody, have no sense of shame, no intelligence, or a charitable disposition.