110+ Chanakya Quotes On Politics, Success And Education

Chanakya was an Indian teacher, philosopher and royal advisor who lived in the 4th century BC. He authored the ancient Indian political treatise called Arthashastra and is widely credited for the establishment of the Mauryan Empire. He was a master of the fields of economics, politics, law, administration, diplomacy and military strategy. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Chanakya on leadership, politics, success.

Top 10 Chanakya Quotes

1. Don't judge the future of a person based on his present conditions, becausetime has the power to change black coal to shiny diamond.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. A man is great by deeds, not by birth.
5. God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.
6. A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.
10. The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.

Chanakya Short Quotes

• Skills are called hidden treasure as they save like a mother in a foreign country.
• Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.
• The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.
• Your feelings are your god.
• He who has wealth has friends.
• There is no disease so destructive as lust.
• As a calf follows its mother among a thousand cows, so the (good or bad) deeds of a man follow him.
• He who shall practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.
• Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons.
• A single son endowed with good qualities is far better than a hundred devoid of them.

Chanakya Quotes About Politics

The forest fire burns even tree like sandalwood. — Chanakya

The foolish wish to speak out what was spoken in secret by the master. — Chanakya

Enemies strike at weak points. — Chanakya

The low minded are fond of deception the nature of low-minded people never changes. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

If people of one''s own side have good conduct, it adds power to oneself. The misconduct on the contrary render one powerless. The enemy taks advantage of it. A skilled statesman never allows enemy to win over. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

A person or a ruler who executes his plans (of public welfare) after due consideration, the prosperity stands with him for a longer period. — Chanakya

A man or a ruler should always take up a task after thoroughly considering its consequences. Otherwise fate also cannot protect his wealth. — Chanakya

Task performed by an unintelligent person should not be rated high. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Success

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. — Chanakya

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

Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty; righteous conduct, for high birth; success for learning; and proper spending for wealth. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Education

Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth. — Chanakya

Education beats the beauty and the youth. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Friendship

There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth. — Chanakya

Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Wife

Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune. — Chanakya

Union in privacy (with one's wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

A wicked wife, a false friend, a saucy servant and living in a house with a serpent in it are nothing but death. — Chanakya

That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up, and so should relatives who are without affection. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

A father who is a chronic debtor, an adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies in one's own home. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About King

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. — Chanakya

If a king is energetic, his subjects will be equally energetic. — Chanakya

Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife. — Chanakya

Trees on a riverbank, a woman in another man's house, and kings without counselors go without doubt to swift destruction. — Chanakya

It is better to be without a king than to have a bad one. — Chanakya

He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

The king shall lose no time when the opportunity waited for arrives. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Life

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

A still-born son os superior to a foolish son endowed with a long life. The first causes grief for but a moment while the latter like a blazing fire consumes his parents in grief for life. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Wise

The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability. — Chanakya

Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

He shall despise none, but hear the opinions of all. A wise man shall make use of even a child's sensible utterance. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About People

The disgrace of one's people brings sorrow to the Nobel minded. — Chanakya

The demerits of our own people bringh infamiy. Their disgrace is our own disgrace. That is why infamy os such people relly hurts . It is desifrable that the ruler or the administrator may work in a way that such disgraceful conduct may not occur. — Chanakya

For the protection of state and welfare of the people, a ruler shold collect all types of wealth. By suing devices of sama, dama , danda, bheda , he shold increase income of the state, strong administration helps in collecting different type of taxes fro exchequer. — Chanakya

Low minded people are fraudulent, wicked and chaeat. They shouldnot be trusted. To h ave faith in low minded ones is mistake in policy and useless because they are not trustworthy. An administrator should not invited calamity by trusting the low minded ones. — Chanakya

Punishment when awarded with due consideration, makes the people devoted to righteousness and to works productive of wealth and enjoyment. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

People's Fury is above all the furies. — Chanakya

A learned man is honoured by the people.A learned man commands respect everywhere for his learning. Indeed, learning is honoured everywhere. — Chanakya

Svanaja includes in itself the whole subject, officials and ministers. If there is something wrong in the conduct of these people, it would be damaging the state. An administrator should strictly deal with it. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Person

Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, is a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise - although he may be the greatest personality - will lose the favour of Lakshmi. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chankaya is referring there to the probibition of entry of the untrustworthy in the counsel-room. Disloyal persons foolishly speak out the secrets of the counsel not knowing the harmful effects of the same. Disclosing the secrets of the counsel mars the welfare of the country. — Chanakya

The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation. — Chanakya

The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions. — Chanakya

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? — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Mind

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. — Chanakya

He who lives in our mind is near though he may actually be far away; but he who is not in our heart is far though he may really be nearby. — Chanakya

A low-minded person should not be given good advice. — Chanakya

They (low-minded) ones should never be trusted. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Destroy

As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. — Chanakya

Those base men who speak of the secret faults of others destroy themselves like serpents that stray onto anthills. — Chanakya

As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family. — Chanakya

A debt should be paid off till the last penny; An enemy should be destroyed without a trace — Chanakya

Time perfects men as well as destroys them. — Chanakya

Chanakya Quotes About Fear

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. — Chanakya

He who runs away from a fearful calamity, a foreign invasion, a terrible famine, and the companionship of wicked men is safe. — Chanakya

Do not say, What what fear has a rich man of calamity. — Chanakya

Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you. — Chanakya

Chanakya Famous Quotes And Sayings

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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? — Chanakya

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?. — Chanakya

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? — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Low class men desire wealth;middle class men both wealth and respect; but the noble, honour only; hence honour is the noble man's true wealth. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Offspring, friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Poverty, disease, sorrow, imprisonment and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one's own sins. — Chanakya

Sinfully acquired wealth may remain for ten years; in the eleventh year it disappears with even the original stock. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

One destitute of wealth is not destitute, he is indeed rich, but the man devoid of learning is destitute in every way. — Chanakya

Time perfects all living beings as well as kills them; it alone is awake when all others are asleep. Time is insurmountable. — Chanakya

Do not put your trust in rivers, men who carry weapons, beasts with claws or horns, women, and members of a royal family. — Chanakya

Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business, becomes happy. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Every relationship has one or the other motive behind it. Friendship or enemity are not purposeless.Oneness of motive is turned into friendship. While diversity of motive cause enemity. Royal relationships also depend uypon one or theother purpose. But such relatins ar mainly for the welfare of the state. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation? — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

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. — Chanakya

Brass is polished by ashes; copper is cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow. — Chanakya

Life Lessons by Chanakya

1. Chanakya teaches us the importance of hard work and dedication, as well as the need to be humble and honest in our dealings.
2. He also stresses the importance of having a good moral character and being mindful of our actions and their consequences.
3. Finally, Chanakya teaches us the value of knowledge and education, and how it can be used to achieve success in life.