150 Quotes by Chanakya
Chanakya, also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, was a revered ancient Indian economist, teacher, philosopher, and royal advisor. Born in the 4th century BCE, Chanakya played a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape of ancient India. As the chief advisor to Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, he was instrumental in establishing the Maurya Empire, one of the largest and most powerful empires in Indian history.
Renowned for his strategic acumen, Chanakya authored the famous political treatise "Arthashastra," which delved into statecraft, governance, economics, and military strategies. His teachings emphasized the importance of diplomacy, virtuous leadership, and the welfare of the people. Chanakya's contributions to political thought and administration have had a lasting impact not only in India but also across the world. His wisdom and sagacity continue to inspire leaders and thinkers to this day.
Chanakya Quotes
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. (Meaning)
Don't judge the future of a person based on his present conditions, because time has the power to change black coal to shiny diamond.
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.
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.
A man is great by deeds, not by birth. (Quote Meaning)
A person should not be too honest. (Meaning)
A man is born alone and dies alone. (Quote Meaning)
The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. (Meaning)
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.
God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple. (Quote Meaning)
Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. (Meaning)
The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.
A man attains greatness by his merits, not simply by occupying an exalted seat. Can we call a crow an eagle (garuda) simply because he sits on the top of a tall building.
Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.
He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow. (Quote Meaning)
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions. (Meaning)
Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person. (Quote Meaning)
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.
There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.
Once you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure. (Meaning)
Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune. (Quote Meaning)
Skills are called hidden treasure as they save like a mother in a foreign country.
We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous. (Meaning)
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.
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.
Prosperity lasts long for one who acts after proper consideration.
What good is a cow that neither gives milk nor conceives? Similarly, what is the value of the birth of a son if he becomes neither learned nor a pure devotee of the Lord?
The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep.
Rain which falls upon the sea is useless; so is food for one who is satiated; in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy; and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.
Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.
If a king is energetic, his subjects will be equally energetic.
Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.
What good can the scriptures do to a man who has no sense of his own? Of what use is as mirror to a blind man?
The forest fire burns even tree like sandalwood.
The world's biggest power is youth. (Quote Meaning)
Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.
What vice could be worse than covetousness? What is more sinful than slander? For one who is truthful, what need is there for austerity? For one who has a clean heart, what is the need for pilgrimage?.
A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you.
As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. (Meaning)
Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, comes of Her own accord where fools are not respected, grain is well stored up, and the husband and wife do not quarrel.
Till the enemy's weakness is known , he should be kept on friendly terms.
Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
A tolerant person should not be harrased. The subject or the ruled ones generally is loyal to the ruler. The people tak to revolt when they are helpless. The duty of the ruler is that his humble people mey not tak to revolt being suppressed by his bad polity. Considering the forbearance of the subject, do not ill behave with them so that they may feel oppressed.
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?
The happiness and peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity is not attained by greedy persons restlessly moving here and there.
Your feelings are your god.
An egoist can be won over by being respected. (Quote Meaning)
Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men.
A person becomes great not be sitting on some high seat, but through higher qualities. Can a crow become an eagle by simply sitting on the top of a palatial building?
They (low-minded) ones should never be trusted.
Poverty, disease, sorrow, imprisonment and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one's own sins.
The foolish wish to speak out what was spoken in secret by the master.
A wise man should not divulge the formula of a medicine which he has well prepared; an act of charity which he has performed; domestic conflicts; private affairs with his wife; poorly prepared food he may have been offered; or slang he may have heard.
Enemies strike at weak points.
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. (Meaning)
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.
Swans live wherever there is water, and leave the place where water dries up; let not a man act so - and comes and goes as he pleases.
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.
Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife.
He who has wealth has friends.
There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of a scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.
A wicked wife, a false friend, a saucy servant and living in a house with a serpent in it are nothing but death.
One's weakness should not ever be revealed.
There is no disease so destructive as lust. (Meaning)
As a calf follows its mother among a thousand cows, so the (good or bad) deeds of a man follow him.
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.
Learning is a friend on the journey; a wife in the house; medicine in sickness; and religious merit is the only friend after death.
Education beats the beauty and the youth. (Meaning)
Offspring, friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion.
This world is a bitter tree, it has only two sweet nectar like fruits - one is soft voice and the other is company of gentlemen.
Whores don’t live in company of poor men, citizens never support a weak company and birds don’t build nests on a tree that doesn’t bear fruits.
A debt should be paid off till the last penny; An enemy should be destroyed without a trace
Virtuous persons and fruit-laden trees bow, but fools and dry sticks break because they do not bend.
He who has wealth has friends and relations; he alone survives and is respected as a man.
Wealth, a friend, a wife, and a kingdom may be regained; but this body when lost may never be acquired again.
Those base men who speak of the secret faults of others destroy themselves like serpents that stray onto anthills.
The fire of the forest burns trees to ashes. Even expensive sandalwood tree which is endowed with qualities of cooling and fragrance, cannot escape from burning. In the same way wicked cause harm to their benefactors also.
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. (Quote Meaning)
My dear child, if you desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death, then abandon the objects of sense gratification as poison. Drink instead the nectar of forbearance, upright conduct, mercy, cleanliness and truth.
Time perfects all living beings as well as kills them; it alone is awake when all others are asleep. Time is insurmountable.
How well u treat the wicked people, they do nto give up their wickedness. They derive pleasure in hurting others. A serpent made to drink milk, it ejects poison only.
The low minded are fond of deception the nature of low-minded people never changes.
Time perfects men as well as destroys them. (Meaning)
Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage in acts of merit.
One destitute of wealth is not destitute, he is indeed rich, but the man devoid of learning is destitute in every way.
As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.
Sinfully acquired wealth may remain for ten years; in the eleventh year it disappears with even the original stock.
He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business, becomes happy.
The house of a childless person is a void, all directions are void to one who has no relatives, the heart of a fool is also void, but to a poverty stricken man all is void.
He is a pandit (man of knowledge) who speaks what is suitable to the occasion, who renders loving service according to his ability, and who knows the limits of his anger.
It is better to live under a tree in a jungle inhabited by tigers and elephants, to maintain oneself in such a place with ripe fruits and spring water, to lie down on grass and to wear the ragged barks of trees than to live amongst one's relations when reduced to poverty.
Do not put your trust in rivers, men who carry weapons, beasts with claws or horns, women, and members of a royal family.
We should always speak what would please the man of whom we expect a favour, like the hunter who sings sweetly when he desires to shoot a deer.
The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones.
A low-minded person should not be given good advice.
Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse, half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it; nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.
All the creatures are pleased by loving words; and therefore we should address words that are pleasing to all, for there is no lack of sweet words.
The beauty of a cuckoo is in its notes, that of a woman in her unalloyed devotion to her husband, that of an ugly person in his scholarship, and that of an ascetic in his forgiveness.
A friend, even if he be the enemy's son , should be protected.
He who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recipient of all types of riches at every step.
The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation.
The ruler should employ person in tasks according to their abilities because Knowers ( or the means ) and efficient employees make impossible tasks also possible.
Whoever imposes severe punishment becomes repulsive to the people; while he who awards mild punishment becomes contemptible. But whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable. For punishment when awarded with due consideration, makes the people devoted to righteousness and to works productive of wealth and enjoyment; while punishment, when ill-awarded under the influence of greed and anger or owing to ignorance, excites fury even among hermits and ascetics dwelling in forests, not to speak of householders.
Even a pandit comes to grief by giving instruction to a foolish disciple, by maintaining a wicked wife, and by excessive familiarity with the miserable.
Knower of the means makes impossible tasks also possible. (Meaning)
Do not keep company with a fool for as we can see he is a two-legged beast. Like an unseen thorn he pierces the heart with his sharp words.
Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.
She is a true wife who is clean (suci), expert, chaste, pleasing to the husband, and truthful.
Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure.
No amount of advice change his attitude. He does not listed to good advice. Rather he gets angry.
Good behavior wins even an enemy.
Generosity, pleasing address, courage and propriety of conduct are not acquired, but are inbred qualities.
Although an ass is tired, he continues to carry his burden; he is unmindful of cold and heat; and he is always contented; these three things should be learned from the ass.
The man who is praised by others is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises becomes disgraced though he should be Indra, the possessor of all excellencies.
Even as the unborn babe is in the womb of his mother, these five are fixed as his life destiny: his life span, his activities, his acquisition of wealth and knowledge, and his time of death.
Evil person causes harm even if treated will.
As water collected in a tank gets pure by filtration, so accumulated wealth is preserved by being employed in charity.
He who shall practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.
He who runs away from a fearful calamity, a foreign invasion, a terrible famine, and the companionship of wicked men is safe.
He shall despise none, but hear the opinions of all. A wise man shall make use of even a child's sensible utterance.
A permanent relationship is dependent on particular purpose or wealth.
A single son endowed with good qualities is far better than a hundred devoid of them.
If one limb of the body is defected or inflicted with, disease, the whole feels tha pai. Some way if any department, minister or official of the state is faulty, the whole country is effected. An administrator should try hard to curb it.
Even a captured enemy is not to be trusted.
The disgrace of one's people brings sorrow to the Nobel minded.
Wicked ones are like fire. Even if pu on hea, they burn only. They do not leave unhurt even their well - wishers and benefactors.
Sometimes coincidentally an unintelligent person can accomplish a task but that does not mean that he is a knower of means and device or is experienced. A ruler should be careful enough to designate other tasks to such persons.
When one is consumed by the sorrows of life, three things give him relief: offspring, a wife, and the company of the Lord's devotees.
A man or a ruler should always take up a task after thoroughly considering its consequences. Otherwise fate also cannot protect his wealth.
No deliberation made by a single person will be successful; the nature of the work which a sovereign has to do is to be inferred from the consideration of both the visible and invisible causes. The clearance of doubts as to whatever is susceptible of two opinions, and the inference of the whole when only a part is seen is possible of decision only by ministers. Hence the king shall sit at deliberation with persons of wide intellect.
Whoever imposes severe punishment becomes repulsive to the people; while he who awards mild punishment becomes contemptible. But whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable.
Many a bad habit is developed through overindulgence, and many a good one by chastisement; therefore, beat your son as well as your pupil; never indulge them.
An enemy should be struck at his weak point. (Meaning)
The rain water enlivens all living beings of the earth both movable (insects, animals, humans, etc.) and immovable (plants, trees, etc.), and then returns to the ocean it value multiplied a million fold.
At the time of the pralaya (universal destruction) the oceans are to exceed their limits and seek to change, but a saintly man never changes.
If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation?
Those parents who do not educate their sons are their enemies; for as is a crane among swans, so are ignorant so are ignorant sons in a public assembly.
Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons.
Task performed by an unintelligent person should not be rated high.
Fate being unfavorable( or without god's grace, even an easy task becomes difficult to accomplish)
A person or a ruler who executes his plans (of public welfare) after due consideration, the prosperity stands with him for a longer period.
He who loses his money is forsaken by his friends, his wife, his servants and his relations; yet when he regains his riches those who have forsaken him come back to him. Hence wealth is certainly the best of relations.
He whose son is obedient to him, whose wife's conduct is in accordance with his wishes, and who is content with his riches, has his heaven here on earth.
As a whole forest becomes fragrant by the existence of a single tree with sweet-smelling blossoms in it, so a family becomes famous by the birth of a virtuous son.
One who is to be pardoned should not be harassed.
Save your wealth against future calamity. Do not say, "what fear has a rich man of calamity?" Wealth sometimes vanishes away and large accumulations perish.
No one should ever be disrespected.
The king shall lose no time when the opportunity waited for arrives.
A wise man should marry a virgin of a respectable family even if she is deformed. He should not marry one of a low-class family, through beauty. Marriage in a family of equal status is preferable.
Everybody has same or the other weakness. This eis also a a general tendency to conceal theee weaknesses. For people may not harm for these, but they will surely ridicule or make fun of. Friendship, of course feigned should be retained with enemy till his weakness is known. Let him remain elated.
Constant travel brings old age upon a man; a horse becomes old by being constantly tied up; lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman; and garments become old through being left in the sun.
By means of hearing one understands dharma, malignity vanishes, knowledge is acquired, and liberation from material bondage is gained.
The cuckoos remain silent for a long time (for several seasons) until they are able to sing sweetly (in the Spring) so as to give joy to all.
He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path.
Eschew wicked company and associate with saintly persons. Acquire virtue day and night, and always meditate on that which is eternal forgetting that which is temporary.
The Goddess of wealth is unsteady, and so is the life breath. The duration of life is uncertain, and the place of habitation is uncertain; but in all this inconsistent world religious merit alone is immovable.
Fire, even if put on head, burns only.
Defect in one's limb ruins a man.
Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear.
A father who is a chronic debtor, an adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies in one's own home.
He who lives in our mind is near though he may actually be far away. (Quote Meaning)
For good days one should save money, women should be protected even if it takes the money saved. But for self preservation the money and the women should be sacrificed!!
In trans-border relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies or even permanent borders. There are only permanent interests and everything should be done to secure these interests.
Brass is polished by ashes; copper is cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow.
If the bees which seek the liquid oozing from the head of a lust-intoxicated elephant are driven away by the flapping of his ears, then the elephant has lost only the ornament of his head. The bees are quite happy in the lotus filled lake.
All types of riches should be amassed by all means.
He who is prepared for the future and he who deals cleverly with any situation that may arise are both happy; but the fatalistic man who wholly depends on luck is ruined.
The man who remains a fool even in advanced age is really a fool, just as the Indra-Varuna fruit does not become sweet no matter how ripe it might become.
If a king is energetic, his subjects will be equally energetic. If he is reckless, they will not only be reckless likewise, but also eat into his works.
Punishment when awarded with due consideration, makes the people devoted to righteousness and to works productive of wealth and enjoyment.
Do not say, What what fear has a rich man of calamity.
He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.
It is better to be without a king than to have a bad one.
Water is the medicine for indigestion; it is invigorating when the food that is eaten is well digested; it is like nectar when drunk in the middle of a dinner; and it is like poison when taken at the end of a meal.
Foolishness is indeed painful. (Meaning)
Do not pass between two brahmanas, between a brahmana and his sacrificial fire, between a wife and her husband, a master and his servant, and a plough and an ox.
For the moon though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, do not.
The power of a king lies in his mighty arms; that of a brahmana in his spiritual knowledge; and that of a woman in her beauty youth and sweet words.
People's Fury is above all the furies.
He who look at a woman who is not his wife as a mother; wealth that is not his as dust and all the men as himself... is a happy man. He, who sees all these things under a different light, is a blind.
Those born blind cannot see; similarly blind are those in the grip of lust. Proud men have no perception of evil; and those bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.
Trees on a riverbank, a woman in another man's house, and kings without counselors go without doubt to swift destruction.
Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty; righteous conduct, for high birth; success for learning; and proper spending for wealth.
The king shall singly deliberate over secret matters; for ministers have their own ministers, and these latter some of their own; this kind of successive line of ministers tends to the disclosure of counsels.
― Chanakya Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
