India has produced many exceptional personalities till now. One among them was the former president and renowned aerospace scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Azad, who passed away on 27th July 2015. He was known the world over as the ‘Missile Man of India,” and rightly so. Kalam was not only a famous scientist and former president of India but also a great motivator and teacher.
Kalam was born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. He finished his graduation in science from St. Joseph’s college Trichy in 1954. Then he achieved his specialization in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology in the year 1957.
He went to work on many Indian projects. This included the development of SLV-3, launch of ISRO’’s space programs, etc. Kalam even played a vital role in India’s nuclear test that was conducted in Pokhran. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990, and Bharat Ratna (highest civilian award in India) in 1997
Kalam was a scientific advisor to the defence minister from 1992 to 1997. Later on, the government made him the principal scientific adviser (1999–2001), where he worked to strengthen India’s nuclear power standings.
Abdul Kalam was a great inspiration for the youngsters of today as he had taught them to achieve the impossible. Even after his tenure of Presidentship was over, he continued to use science and technology to modify India and worked as a visiting faculty at many universities.
Kalam wrote many books, which include an autobiography, i.e., Wings of Fire (1999). He believed that the present Indian education system needed an overhaul. In a speech at the Delhi Secretariat, Kalam talked about including skill-based education in schools.
He believed that the children need to get specially trained for one skill set apart from their regular syllabus. This skill will give them an additional certification and help them get a job just after school. Plus, such skills would increase their awareness of how the industries operate. He also talked about incorporating a mobile setup of engineering labs on wheels that could go to various schools in a day.
Even now, students and professionals read APJ Abdul Kalam’s quotes to get encouragement and motivation. Following are the 35 of the best APJ Abdul Kalam quotes for students to emulate.
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Best APJ Abdul Kalam Quotes
1. Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.
2. Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.
3. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.
4. If you fail, never give up because FAIL means “First Attempt In Learning.
5. Creativity is seeing the same thing but thinking differently
6. Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.
7. All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.
8. To succeed in life and achieve results, you must understand and master three mighty forces – desire, belief and expectation.
9. Determination is the power that sees us through all our frustration and obstacles. It helps in building our willpower which is the very basis of success.”
10. Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.
11. Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.
12. Youth should not accept any compromise or lower their sights. A society that its youth crawl in conformity and enforces dogmas on their aspirations can never flourish.
13. We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness.
14. You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
15. Failure will never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough
16. It Is Very Easy To Defeat Someone, But It Is Very Hard To Win Someone.
17. Sometimes, it’s better to bunk a class and enjoy with friends, because now, when I look back, marks never make me laugh, but memories do.
18. When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.
19. Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.
20. If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time Do not drag your feet.
21. Once your mind stretches to a new level it never goes back to its original dimension.
22. Let not thy winged days be spent in vain. Whenonce gone no gold can buy them back again.
23. For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.
24. Behind the parents stands the school, and behind the teacher the home.
25. If four things are followed – having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance – then anything can be achieved.
26. Be active! Take on responsibility! Work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you are surrendering your fate to others.
27. Small aim is a crime; have great aim.
28. Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me.
29. Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place – that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realise the great life.
30. If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.
31. The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise… Enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.
32. The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers.
33. Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.
34. If we are not free, no one will respect us.
35. Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.