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Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen or APJ Abdul Kalam was a prodigy whose contributions and achievements are beyond words to describe. Born in an era in India when caste, money, and power overpowered opportunities. Dr. Abdul Kalam proved that hard work, determination, perseverance, and consistency were the keys to success. Due to his groundbreaking work in developing ballistic missiles and launch vehicle technology, he earned the title “Missile Man of India”. The 10-year-old boy from Rameswaram who sold newspapers to live one day made India an exclusive member of Space Club.
Being the project director for India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III), developing PSLV, playing technical, integral, and political roles in carrying out Pokhran-II nuclear test, are a few major contributions from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Despite the amount of disapproval that the union cabinets of India showed on aerospace research and development, Dr. Kalam successfully persuaded funds for the development of the same. He worked as the Chief Scientific Advisor for the Prime Minister before serving as India’s 11th president in 2002.
He also developed a low-cost coronary stent called “Kalam-Raju Stent”. His first aeronautical project resulted in designing India’s first homegrown hovercraft, “Nandi”.
Abdul Kalam Quotes: He won countless hearts with his advice to the youth and the public. In the past few decades, there hasn’t been a classroom in India where his quotes haven’t been written at least once. He built his legacy from the ground up, inspiring everyone who had faced failure to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
Abdul Kalam’s Impact on India
Early Life and Struggles
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was born into a Tamil Muslim family of six children in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. His father worked in a local mosque and owned a ferry that transported pilgrims back and forth to Dhanushkodi. His mother was a homemaker. In such circumstances, higher education was merely just a dream. As a young boy, he sold newspapers to increase his family’s income.
Educational Journey and Career Aspirations
Abdul Kalam achieved average grades during his schooling days. But he had a strong desire to learn and a keen interest in Mathematics. In the meantime, he undertook various jobs to support his education and family. Despite numerous struggles, he graduated in Physics from St. Joseph’s College and then moved to Madras. There he attended the Madras Institute of Technology to study aerospace engineering. Amidst this, he applied for fighter pilot training in Indian Air Force (IAF) under the Armed Forces. Unfortunately, he secured the ninth position in the qualifying round, but since only eight spots were available in the IAF, he could not secure a place.
Contribution to India’s Space and Defence Programs
However, the ten-year-old boy from Rameswaram, who sold newspapers to meet his needs, one day made headlines in several national and international newspapers, creating history. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam made remarkable contributions while working as an aerospace scientist and space administrator at DRDO and ISRO during his career. He was India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) project director. With the help of his team, they successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit. He was involved politically and technologically in planning and conducting events of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests.
Once while addressing youth, he said, “My message, especially to young people, is to have the courage to think differently, invent, travel the unexplored path, discover the impossible and conquer the problems and succeed”. Abdul Kalam’s quotes encouraged youth to discover new things, learn more, and acquire knowledge without boundaries.
Top 10 Abdul Kalam Quotes
Dr. Abdul Kalam has always been a great mentor for everyone, regardless of age. He never failed to motivate his audience and followers. Here are some motivational Dr. Abdul Kalam quotes:
“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”
While everyone desires success, only a few have a clear idea of what they want to become or where they want to reach in life. People should have a dream that serves as their destination or final goal to be reached at some point. Having a vision and goal is essential before turning it into reality.
“A dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep.”
The vision or goal should be something you want to work out into reality. This quote is one of the most common ones. He emphasizes that the goal you set for yourself should not be confined to your sleep. It should make you restless and drive you to work harder.
“If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.”
This Abdul Kalam quote emphasizes how success is not always easy to achieve. You need to put in the effort to reach the goals you have set for yourself. Stepping out of your comfort zone and enduring the fire, much like the sun, is necessary so that one day you can shine brightly.
“Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in the second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.”
People can tend to slow their pace of work once they achieve their first victory while running towards their goals. They often assume that subsequent steps will come easily after that initial victory. No matter how hard you have worked to achieve your first victory, failure gives others a chance to attribute your earlier success to luck. This APJ Abdul Kalam quote highlights the importance of focus, work, and dedication.
“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to those who dream and work.”
The world around us may seem friendly when we push forward through life without taking stress. Once you start dreaming, you realize that is no longer the case. A real winner will always be ready to stand up and confront their problems to achieve their goal.
“The best brains of the nation may be found on the last benches of the classroom.”
This is one of the most famous Abdul Kalam quotes for students that resonates with youth worldwide. Usually, backbenchers are stereotyped as students who are less intelligent and have no value to society. Since backbenchers are ignored in their classrooms, people around them fail to understand their ideologies. This quote changes the thought of underestimating students based solely on their grades and scorecards.
“Don’t read success stories; you will only get a message. Read failure stories; you will get some ideas to get success.”
Success stories often romanticize life and give us the impression that we can easily achieve what the author has achieved effortlessly. More than inspiring, these stories could make people daydream, assuming that they can easily succeed if they follow everything the author has done in his life. Failure stories can offer valuable lessons. Failure stories simply don’t mean stories of those who ultimately failed in life. But these are stories of people who failed but never gave up and worked on their failures to reach where they wanted to. They teach us what to avoid and what strategies will most likely work out.
“This is my belief: that through difficulties and problems, God allows us to grow. So when your hopes and dreams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage; you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins.”
Abdul Kalam quotes tell us how failures can teach us valuable lessons to move forward and succeed. People tend to get disheartened and demotivated when they face difficulties and problems. Dr. Kalam gives a reminder that failures are not an endpoint and could be the beginning of something new and better.
“All birds find shelter during rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above clouds.”
Through this quote, Dr. Abdul Kalam explains how the difference in attitude can help us tackle problems differently. Problems are common in life, but how you deal with the struggles defines you and makes you unique.
“Winners are not those who never fail but never quit.”
This APJ Abdul Kalam quotes emphasizes that failure is inevitable while working to achieve success. But no matter how often or hard you fail, there is still some way to succeed. As long as you do not give up your idea of success and choose to persevere, you are always a winner for how far you have come.
Motivational Quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
- “Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”
- “If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.”
- “You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”
- “You should not give up, and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.”
- “Be active! Take on responsibility! Work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you are surrendering your fate to others.”
Inspirational Quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
- “Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in the second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.”
- “Dream, Dream, Dream. Dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action.”
- “Dreams are not what you see in sleep. Dream is something that doesn’t let you sleep.”
- “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.”
- “To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.”
- “You cannot change your future, but you can change your habits, and surely your habits will change your future.”
- “All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”
General Quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
- “All birds find shelter during a rain. But the eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds.”
- “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 realize a great life.”
- “It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone.”
- “Be silent in two situations: when you feel one can’t understand your feelings from words and when you can understand without any words.”
- “Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life.”
Success and Life Quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
- “I reminded myself that the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.”
- “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.”
Children’s Quote by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
“Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.”
Education Quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- “The best brains of the nation may be found on the last benches of the classroom.”
- “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.”
The People’s President
Born to a poverty-stricken family, APJ Abdul Kalam proved that one doesn’t have to be born with a silver spoon to conquer great dreams. At 71, he was elected as the 11th President of India with support from both ruling and opposition parties. e was known as the people’s president. He was not just the Missile Man of India but also a mentor who never stopped inspiring. Upon his demise, a vast majority were struck by sorrow and considered his death a personal loss rather than the demise of a former president.
Abdul Kalam’s quotes inspire youths worldwide. He taught the world that scorecards do not measure a student’s brilliance. Moreover, he emphasized two beautiful rules for leading a peaceful life: a failure’s depression should never affect your heart, and never let success’s ego cloud your judgment.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is a leader quote from Kalam?
Ans. Abdul Kalam had a creative mindset on leadership. According to him, a leader should be able to understand the problem, and the decision made by him collectively should be acceptable to his team members. In his autobiography “Wings of Fire”, he highlights “when the leader goes too far with the hands-on approach, he is seen as an anxious and interfering type. If he goes too far hands-off, he is seen as abducting his responsibility or not being interested.”
Q2. What was Abdul Kalam’s advice?
Ans. Every motivational quote by APJ Abdul Kalam is some advice he gave. He responded, “You have to do four things: First, have a great aim in life. Second, acquire knowledge, and persevere.
Q3. Why is Abdul Kalam an inspiration?
Ans. Despite numerous challenges and setbacks, Dr. Abdul Kalam achieved remarkable success. People who make excuses tend to escape or quit whenever they face mishaps or shortcomings or feel demotivated while working on their dreams. He emphasized that regardless of how many stumbles, they remain a winner if they refuse to quit.
Q4. What is APJ Abdul Kalam’s famous quote?
Ans. Several famous Abdul Kalam quotes exist, but one that deeply resonates with students is, “The best brains of the nation may be found on the last benches of the classroom.” The youth have embraced this particular quote, elevating Dr. Abdul Kalam as an inspirational idol for themselves.
Q5. Who is the best friend of Kalam?
Ans. Ramanadha Sastry Aravindan and Shivaprakasan were Abdul Kalam’s school friends. Ramanadha Sastry became the high priest of the Rameshwaram temple, Aravindan ran a transport business for pilgrims, and Shivaprakasan worked as a catering contractor for Southern Railways.
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