Essay Topic: Educa on

“Educa on is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” Margaret Mead
“Educa on is what remains a er one has forgo en what one has learnt in school.” Einstein
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accep ng it.” Aristotle

Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true educa on.

Educa on is a bridge from misery to hope

“Educa on is the manifesta on of perfec on already in man.” Swami Vivekananda

Educa on that does not mould the character is absolutely worthless. – Mahatma Gandhi

To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to the society – Theodore
Roosevelt

The object of educa on is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.
“Educa ng the mind without educa ng the heart is no educa on at all.” - Mar n Luther King

“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a genera on.” ―
Brigham Young

Essay Topic: Science and Religion

“All thinking men are atheists.” Ernest Hemingway

“The no on that Science and Spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.”
Carl Sagan

“Science without Religion is lame and Religion without Science is blind” Einstein
“What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” Christopher Hitchens
“Our scien fic power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
- Mar n Luther King

Essay Topic: Democracy

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversa on with the average voter.”
Churchill

“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so much dangerous to the public welfare as the
apathy of a ci zen in a democracy” Montesquieu
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” Abraham Lincoln
“There cannot be daily democracy without daily ci zenship.” Ralph Nader
”I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“Democracy is not law of the majority but protec on of the minority.” Albert Camus
“In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ul mate power, but carries the ul mate
responsibility.” Norman Cousins
Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.” - Thomas Jefferson

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” - Plato

Essay Topic: Materialism/Consumerism/Environment

The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth

“The world has enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Water and air, the two essen al fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
We never know the worth of water ll the well is dry.

Essay Topic: Peace/Jus ce

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” William
Gladstone
“Peace and Jus ce are two sides of the same coin.” Eisenhower
“Poverty is the worst form of violence.” Mahatma Gandhi
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a the
from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed – Eisenhower

The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.”

“There was never a bad peace or a good war.”

“Injus ce anywhere is a threat to jus ce everywhere.” War does

not decide who is right but who is le .”

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards jus ce.”
― Mar n Luther King Jr.

• Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

(Let the whole world be prosperous and peaceful)

Essay Topic: Judiciary

Yatho Dharma Thatho Jayaha: Where there is jus ce, there is victory.

Essay Topic: Corrup on

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in remaking the world but in remaking ourselves -
Mahatma Gandhi

Confucius - Righteousness is the founda on stone of peace and good governance.

Buddha - Dharma is the founda on stone of good governance
The worst disease in the world today is corrup on. And there is a cure: transparency
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

Essay Topic: Caste

The caste system is opposed to the religion of the Vedanta. Caste is a social custom, and all our
great preachers have tried to break it down. —Swami Vivekananda Conclusion Phrases
Gandhiji’s Talisman

•Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina (May all be Happy)

Sarve Santu Niramaya (May all be without disease)
//Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu (May all have well-being)
Maa Kaschit Dukh Bhagh Bhavet (May none have misery of any sort)//
• Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
(Whole world is one family)

(Asato ma Sadgamaya) From unrighteousness to righteousness

(Tamaso ma jyo rgamaya) From darkness to light

(Mrityorma Amritgamaya) From mortality towards immortality

• Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava – [Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda] All religions are
equal. - first used by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 in Harijan

Seva Parmo Dharma

Service, in our Indian ethos, is the ul mate duty

Satyamev Jayate

Ahimsa Parmo Dharma

Quotes by Mahatma Gandhi

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
“Sa sfac on lies in the effort, not in the a ainment. Full effort is full victory.”
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.”
“The good man is the friend of all living things.”

“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democra c spirit.”

“The greatness of a na on can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
“Violent means will give violent freedom.”

“There is higher courts than courts of jus ce and that is conscience.”

“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonesty.”
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” Essay Topic:
Hunger

Hunger is actually the worst weapon of mass destruc on. It claims millions of vic ms each
year."
“There are people in the world, so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of
bread.”

Essay Topic: Privacy

“They who can give up essen al liberty to obtain a li le temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety.”

Essay Topic: Free Speech

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. – Voltaire
 Issue Quote

Free Speech  I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death
your right to say it. – Voltaire

Caste  The caste system is opposed to the Religion of the Vedanta. Caste is a
social custom, and all our great preachers have tried to break it down. –
Swami Vivekananda

Corruption  Righteousness is the foundation stone of peace and good governance.

– Confucius
 Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s
character, give him power. – Abraham Lincoln

Peace  When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will
know peace. – William Gladstone

 Peace and Justice are two sides of the same coin. – Eisenhower

Democracy  The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so much dangerous to the

public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy. – Montesquieu

 I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same

chance as the strong. – Mahatma Gandhi

 The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled
by evil men. – Plato

Science v/s  All thinking men are atheists. – Ernest Hemingway

Religion
 Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided
missiles and misguided men. – Martin Luther King

 Science without religion is lame, and Religion without Science is blind. –

Einstein
 Education  Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the
world. – Nelson Mandela

 It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought

without accepting it. – Aristotle

 To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace

to society. – Theodore Roosevelt

The list given above is just a brief example. Aspirants should identify
issues/keywords and make their list of UPSC relevant quotes.

2. Quotes categorised by author/personality

Author/Personality Quote

Aristotle  “All persons ought to endeavour to follow what is right, and not
what is established.”
 “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education
at all.”
 “No great mind ever existed without a touch of madness.”
 “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
 “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.”
 “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Arthur  “Compassion is the basis of morality.”

Schopenhauer  “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of
the world.”
 “One should use common words to say uncommon things.”
 “Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it
trains people as to how they shall think.”

Jeremy Bentham  “Rarest of all human quality is consistency.”

Bertrand Russell  “Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now
accepted was once eccentric.”
 “If there were in the world today any large number of people who
desired their own happiness more than the desired the
unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.”
 “Longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity
for the suffering of mankind.”

B R Ambedkar  “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of

progress which women have achieved.”
 “Life should be great rather than long.”

Benjamin Franklin  “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
 “Either write worth reading or do something worth writing.”
 “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and
wise.”
 “He that can have patience can have what he will.”
 “If everyone is thinking alike then no one is thinking.”
 “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”
 “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
 “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as
outraged as those who are.”
 “Lost time is never found again.”
 “You may delay but time will not.”

Confucius  “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”

 “Consideration for others is the basis of a good life and good
society.”
 “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust
the goals, adjust the action steps.”
 “Give a bowl of rice to a man, and you will feed him for a day.
Teach him how to grow his own rice, and you will save his life.”
 “Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”
  “If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years,
plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate
children.”
 “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
 “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time
we fall.”
 “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who
does not ask is a fool for life.”

Einstein  “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything
new.”
 “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
 “Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
 “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
 “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has
learned in school.”
 “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb
a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
 “Everything must be made as simple as possible. But not simpler.”
 “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work.”
 “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from
mediocre minds.”
 “Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.”
 “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
 “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it
yourself.”
 “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage
man or the president of the university.”
 “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
 “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is
an empty desk a sign?”
 “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but
World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
  “It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much
longer.”
 “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope
for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.”

Franklin Roosevelt  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

 “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the
abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide
enough for those who have little.”

Gautam Buddha  “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no
matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your own reason and
your own common sense.”
 “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do
not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured
by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found
written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely
on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in
traditions because they have been handed down for many
generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find
that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good
and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
 “Doubt everything. Find your own light.”
 “Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what
matters most.”
 “However many holy words you read, however many you speak,
what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”

George  “Ninety-nine per cent of the failures come from people who have
Washington the habit of making excuses.”
 “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
 “Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
 “If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we
may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
  “Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public
happiness.”
 “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I
owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral,
intellectual and physical education I received from her.”

Henry David  “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must
Thoreau be slaves.”
 “Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.”
 “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances
confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live
the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours.”
 “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.”
 “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
 “Things do not change, we change.”
 “This world is but a canvas for our imagination.”

H. Jackson Brown  “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the
Jr. same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller,
Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci,
Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

Immanuel Kant  “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own
person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to
an end, but always at the same time as an end.”

John F. Kennedy  “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do
for your country.”
 “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
Ideas have endurance without death.”
 “A child miseducated is a child lost.”
 “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
 “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
  “Mankind must put an end to war – or war will put an end to
mankind.”
 “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
 “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One
brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a
crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognise the opportunity.”
 “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one
man are threatened.”
 “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”
 “The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of our planet.”
 “Without debate, without criticism no administration and no
country can succeed and no republic can survive.”
 “We need men who can dream of things that never were.”

Leo Tolstoy  “A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is and whose
denominator is what he thinks of himself. The larger the
denominator, the smaller the fraction.”
 “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of
changing himself.”
 “To get rid of enemy one must love him.”
 “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in
it.”

Mahatma Gandhi  “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
 “Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.
Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
 “A No uttered from deepest conviction is better than a YES merely
uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
 “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
 “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not
every man’s greed.”
 “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live
forever.”
 “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you,
and then you win.”
 “God has no religion.”
 “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do
are in harmony.”
 “In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all.”
 “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
 “My Life is My Message.”
 “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”
 “Seven Deadly Sins. Wealth without work; Pleasure without
conscience; Science without humanity; Knowledge without
character; Politics without principle; Commerce without morality;
Worship without sacrifice.”
 “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from
an indomitable will.”
 “The future depends on what you do today.”
 “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”
 “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear
to them except in the form of bread.”
 “The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a
thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
 “To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a
human being.”
 “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of
doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
 “Your beliefs become your thoughts; Your thoughts become your
words; Your words become your actions; Your actions become
your habits; Your habits become your values; Your values become
your destiny.”
 “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if
a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become
dirty.”
 “You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this
body, but you will never imprison my mind.”
  “A man is the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he
becomes.”
 “Before you do anything, stop and recall the face of the poorest
most helpless destitute person you have seen and ask yourself, Is
what I am about to do going to help him?”

Martin Luther King  “A right delayed is a right denied.”

 “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”
 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
 “Dante said that the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who
in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.”
 “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole
staircase.”
 “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk
then crawl, but whatever may do you have to keep moving
forward.”
 “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
 “It’s the action and not the fruit of the action which is important.”
 “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets
even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that
all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a
great street sweeper who did his job well.”
 “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
 “Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.”
 “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is : “What are you
doing for others?”
 “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a
friend.”
 “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
 “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great,
because greatness is determined by service.”
 “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-
being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are
 small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look
the other way.”
 “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things
that matter.”
 “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither
safe,nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because
conscience tells him it is right.”
 “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
 “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have
guided missiles and misguided men.”
 “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither
safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because
conscience tells him it is right.”
 “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in
moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at
times of challenge and controversy.”
 “The time is always right to do the right thing.”
 “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
 “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite
hope.”
 “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”

Mark Twain  “Classic – a book people praise but don’t learn.”

 “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography.”
 “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind
can see.”
 “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the
world and moral courage so rare.”
 “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
 “I do not fear death, I had been dead for billions and billions of
years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest
inconvenience from it.”
 “The best way to cheer up yourself is to try to cheer someone else
up.”
  “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man
who cannot read.”

Plato  “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

Socrates  “By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy;
if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”
 “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be
contented with what he would like to have.”
 “Know thyself.”
 “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
 “There is only one good, knowledge and one evil ignorance.”

Tagore  “A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed
that uses it.”
 “Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another
time.”
 “Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the
capacity to receive it
 “Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.”
 “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time
enough.”
 “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the
water.”

Thomas A Edison  “5% of the people think; 10% of people think they think and the
other 85% would rather die than think.”
 “Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.”
 “Good fortune happens when opportunity meets preparation.”
 “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
 “I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.”
 “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close
they were to success when they gave up.”
  “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to
succeed is always to try just one more time.”
 “The most necessary task of civilisation is to teach people how to
think. It should be the primary purpose of our public schools. The
mind of a child is naturally active, it develops through exercise.
Give a child plenty of exercise for body and brain. The trouble with
our way of educating is that it does not give elasticity to the mind.
It casts the brain into a mould. It insists that the child must accept.
It does not encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays
more stress on memory than observation.”
 “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you
haven’t.”

Thomas Paine  “Independence is my happiness; the world is my country; to do

good my religion.”
 “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must
undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
 “The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
 “Whatever is the right as a man is also the right of another; and it
becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.”

Thomas Jefferson  “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to

complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful
how much may be done if we are always doing.”
 “Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.”
 “I can’t live without books.”
 “I am a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the
more I have of it.”
 “On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle
stand like a rock.”

Gender Equality

"A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist:
where everyone can be themselves"
 — GLORIA STEINEM

"When God created man and woman, he was thinking, 'Who shall I give the power
to, to give birth to the next human being?' And God chose woman. And this is the
big evidence that women are powerful"

— MALALA YOUSAFZAI

"Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the
challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building
good governance"

— KOFI ANNAN

"Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and
boys. It is everyone's responsibility"

— BAN KI-MOON

"I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women
have achieved"

— B. R. AMBEDKAR

WOMEN

"Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world"

— HILLARY CLINTON

"You educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a
generation"

— BRIGHAM YOUNG

"To educate girls is to reduce poverty"

 — KOFI ANNAN

"Empower a woman - Empower a community"

— KOFI ANNAN

"When women do better economies do better"

— CHRISTINA LAGARDE

"There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is
improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing "

— SWAMI VIVEKANAND

"We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back"

— MALALA YOUSAFZAI

"The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls"
— MICHELLE OBAMA

HUMANITY

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but
we all belong to one human race"

— KOFI ANNAN

POVERTY

"Poverty is like a punishment for a crime you didn’t commit."

— ELI KHAMAROV
HEALTH

"It is the health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver"
— MAHATMA GANDHI

ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

"What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what
we are doing to ourselves and to one another"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"This is our world, a common world. Everybody should feel a common

responsibility"

— BAN KI MOON

"Climate change is simply, the greatest collective challenge we face as a human

family"

— BAN KI MOON

"Sustainable development and climate change are two sides of the same coin"
— BAN KI MOON

"Climate change does not respect border; it does not respect who you are- rich
and poor, small and big. Therefore, this is what we call global challenges, which
require global solidarity"

— BAN KI MOON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

"Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a
framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise
environmental stewardship and strengthen governance"

— BAN KI MOON

YOUTH

"Any society that does not succeed in tapping into the energy and creativity of
its youth will be left behind"

— KOFI ANNAN

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation.

Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace"

— KOFI ANNAN

INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT

"You cannot have peace without security, and you cannot have security without
inclusive development"

— KOFI ANNAN

EDUCATION

"Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope"

— KOFI ANNAN

"One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world"
— MALALA YOUSAFZAI
"We want the education by which character is formed, strength of mind is
increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own
feet"

— SWAMI VIVEKANAND

ETHICS

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in a
harmony"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"Be truthful, gentle and fearless"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"Heart is a very good fertilizer; anything we plant love, fear, hate, hope, revenge,
jealousy-surely grows and bears fruit. We have to decide what to harvest "

— SWAMI VIVEKANAND

"We must become the change we want to see"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

SEVEN DANGERS TO HUMAN VIRTUE

1. Wealth without work

2. Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Business without ethics

5. Science without humanity

6. Religion without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the
ocean area dirty, the ocean does not become dirty "

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others"
— MAHATMA GANDHI

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind"
— MAHATMA GANDHI

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable
will"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by
the humiliation of their fellow beings"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"Peace is its own reward"

— MAHATMA GANDHI

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become"

 — BUDDHA

"Be kind to all creatures; this is the true religion"

— BUDDHA

"Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and,
above all, love"

— SWAMI VIVEKANAND

"Gratitude is a flower that blooms in noble souls"

— POPE FRANCIS

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears"

— NELSON MANDELA

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give
him power"

— ABRAHAM LINCOLN

"Success is not about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you
make in people’s lives"

— MICHELLE OBAMA

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"

— MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

"Greed has poisoned man’s souls"

— CHARLIE CHAPLIN
"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all"
— ARISTOTLE

"The best test of a man is authority."

— ANONYMOUS

"We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars... if we must wage
war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty, and backwardness "

— ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE

"Good governance depends on ability to take responsibility by both administration

as well as people"

— NARENDRA MODI

"Progress is more plausibly judged by the reduction of deprivation than by the

further enrichment of the opulent"

— AMARTYA SEN

"The test of progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who
have much; It is whether we provide enough for those who have little"

— FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

CHILDREN

"Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured,
as they are the future of the Nation and the citizens of tomorrow"

— Pt. JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU

SCIENCE & TECH

"I fear the day when technology will suppress human interaction and the world
will have a generation of idiots"

— ALBERT EINSTEIN

"The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people."
— JON RONSON

"Social media is reducing social barriers. It connects people on the strength of

human values, not identities"

— NARENDRA MODI

"It is dangerously destabilizing to have half the world on the cutting edge of
technology while the other half struggles on the bare edge of survival "

— BILL CLINTON

"The Internet is becoming the town square for the Global village of tomorrow"
— BILL GATES

AGRICULTURE

"If agriculture fails, everything else will fail"

— M S SWAMINATHAN

1. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter

Drucker
This quote solely focuses on the proactive role that future civil
servants should take in shaping society and policy.
 2. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to
continue that count.” – Winston Churchill
This quote underlines the importance of perseverance while facing
challenges, a sentiment that resonates deeply with the UPSC
journey.
3. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao
Tzu
This is a meaningful quote that reminds us that every great
accomplishment starts with a single step, encouraging candidates to
take initiative.
4. “You must be the change you wish to see in the
world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi Ji facilitates personal responsibility
and action, which are the required traits for any aspiring civil servant.
5. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy
Kassem
An empowering quote that can be used to highlight the importance
of self-belief and action over self-doubt.
Quotes on Governance and Policy

Understanding the distinction and importance of governance and policy is

integral to the UPSC Mains. Using these important quotes for UPSC Mains 2024
on governance and policy can enrich your answers in papers like GS-II and GS-
III:

1. “The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill

A powerful quote that underlines the relationship between authority
and accountability.
2. “In a democracy, the power lies in the hands of the
people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
This quote highlights the fundamental principle of democratic
governance, suitable for essays and answers on political science
topics.
3. “The art of government is to make two-thirds of a nation
content.” – Voltaire
Candidates can use this quote to discuss the balancing act required
in policy-making to ensure the happiness of the majority while
protecting minority rights.
 4. “Good governance is not fire-fighting or crisis management.
Instead of opting for ad-hoc solutions, the need of the hour is
to tackle the root cause of the problems.” – Narendra Modi
An excellent quote for discussions on sustainable governance and
long-term policy planning.
5. “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of
government.” – Universal Declaration of Human Rights
This quote can be effectively used in discussions on the legitimacy
of governance and the role of citizen participation.
Famous Quotes for UPSC Mains on Social Issues

Social issues are a vital component of the UPSC syllabus. Here are some
important quotes for UPSC Mains 2024 that address these themes:

1. “The measure of any society is how it treats its weakest

members.” – Mahatma Gandhi
This quote is perfect for essays on social justice and equality,
candidates can use this quote while drafting an essay on social
justice and equality.
2. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
Ideal for discussions on the transformative power of education and
its role in societal progress.
3. “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Use this quote to highlight the multifaceted impact of poverty on
human life and dignity.
4. “There can be no social justice without economic
justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
A profound quote for exploring the interconnectedness of economic
policies and social equity.
5. “The test of progress is not whether we add more to the
abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide
enough for those who have little.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
This quote solely focuses on the ethical dimension of development
and wealth distribution.
Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store
UPSC Mains Quotes by Leaders

Important quotes for UPSC Mains 2024 from renowned leaders provide insights
into their vision and values. Here is the list of quotes by leaders that are
appropriate for various topics:

1. “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if

a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become
dirty.” – Mahatma Gandhi
A deep and meaningful quote that is suitable for essays on human
rights, ethics, and morality.
2. “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi
A quote that discusses the strength of character and ethics,
applicable in ethics papers and essays.
3. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D.
Roosevelt
This quote can be used to highlight leadership and courage,
particularly in crisis management.
4. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and
sweat.” – Winston Churchill
A quote that emphasizes dedication and hard work, suitable for
discussions on leadership and commitment.
5. “The best test of a good society is how it treats those who are
in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of
life, the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick,
the needy, and the handicapped.” – Hubert H. Humphrey
An excellent quote for essays on social welfare and governance
policies aimed at vulnerable sections of society.
Quotes for Essay Writing UPSC on Environment and Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is a critical global issue and a significant topic in the

UPSC exams. Here are some essays writing important quotes for UPSC Mains
2024 focused on the environment:

1. “The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the

Earth.” – Marlee Matlin
The best quote for the essays on ecological balance and the human-
nature relationship.
 2. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it
from our children.” – Native American Proverb
A profound quote that emphasises the responsibility of preserving
the earth for future generations.
3. “Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our
appetites.” – William Ruckelshaus
An Ideal quote for discussing sustainable resource management
and environmental conservation.
4. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone
else will save it.” – Robert Swan
This quote highlights the need for collective action in addressing
environmental issues.
5. “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror
reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and one
another.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Suitable for essays on deforestation, climate change, and the
broader implications of environmental degradation.

Category Quote and Author

“If Ethics is poor at the top, the behaviour is copied

down the organisation” – Robert Noyce

“Dharma is the foundation of good governance”

Administration
– Buddha

“A lack of transparency results in distrust and a

deep sense of insecurity” – Dalai Lama

Righteousness is the foundation stone of peace

Governance
and good governance – Confucius
 If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your
government, then you are doomed to live under the
rule of fools. – Plato

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want

to test a man’s character, give him power”
– Abraham Lincoln

Power and
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice
Corruption
becomes powerful” – Malala Yousafzai

“Corruption is the true enemy to development”

– Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj

“I understand democracy as something that gives

the weak the same chance as the strong”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Democracy “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at

the base of it social democracy” – B. R. Ambedkar

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet” – Abraham

Lincoln

Quotes for UPSC Mains on Social Issues

Here are a few quotes for UPSC Mains on society and social issue topics:

Topic Quotes

Caste System  “The caste system is opposed to the

religion of the Vedanta. Caste is a social
custom, and all our great preachers have
 tried to break it down.” — Swami
Vivekananda
 “There is no caste in blood.” — Edwin
Arnold

 “The problem of the growing food

shortage cannot be solved without in
many cases a simultaneous effort to
moderate population growth.” — U Thant,
Population former UN Secretary-General
Issues  “If we don’t halt population growth with
justice and compassion, it will be done for
us by nature, brutally and without pity —
and will leave a ravaged world.” — Nobel
Laureate Henry W. Kendall

 “When women do better economies do

Women better.” — Christine Lagarde
Empowerment  “A woman with a voice is, by de inition, a
strong woman.” — Melinda Gates

 “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

— Mahatma Gandhi
 “As long as poverty, injustice, and gross
Poverty and inequality exist in our world, none of us
can truly rest.” — Nelson Mandela
Inequality
 “In a country well governed, poverty is
something to be ashamed of. In a country
badly governed, wealth is something to be
ashamed of.” — Confucius

Quotes for UPSC Mains on Ethics

You can also use Ethics quotes for UPSC Mains 2024. Here are some inspirational quotes:

Topic Quotes

 “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to

Truth remember anything.” — Mark Twain
 “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may
attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the
end, there it is.” — Winston Churchill
  “Conscience is a man’s compass.” — Vincent
van Gogh
Conscience
 “Never do anything against conscience even
if the state demands it.” — Albert Einstein

 “Integrity without knowledge is weak and

useless, and knowledge without integrity is
dangerous and dreadful.” — Samuel Johnson
Integrity
 “Real integrity is doing the right thing,
knowing that nobody’s going to know
whether you did it or not.” — Oprah Winfrey

 “The day the power of love overrules the love

of power, the world will know peace.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Peace and  “Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies
Tolerance of correct understanding.” — Mahatma
Gandhi
 “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is
the best teacher.” — Dalai Lama

Quotes for UPSC Mains on Miscellaneous Topics

Quotes can be used on topics like climate change, science, education, etc.

Topic Quotes

 “Saving our planet, lifting people out of

poverty, advancing economic growth…
these are one and the same ight.” — Ban
Environment Ki-moon
 “We are the irst generation to feel the
sting of climate change, and we are the
last generation that can do something
about it.” — Jay Inslee

 “Science is a way of life. Science is a

Science and perspective.” — Brian Greene
 “The internet is becoming the town
Technology
square for the global village of
tomorrow.” — Bill Gates
  “Our technology has exceeded our
humanity.” — Albert Einstein

 “People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”

— Jess C Scott
 “What the mass media offers is not
popular art, but entertainment which is
Social Media and intended to be consumed like food,
forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.”
Society
— W.H. Auden
 “Social media is reducing social barriers.
It connects people on the strength of
human values, not identities.”
— Narendra Modi

 Knowledge is power. Information is

liberating. Education is the premise of
progress, in every society, in every family
– Ko i Annan
 Education is what remains after one has
Education forgotten what one has learnt in school
– Mahatma Gandhi
 Learning gives creativity. Creativity
leads to thinking. Thinking provides
knowledge. Knowledge makes you great
– APJ Abdul Kalam

 “If conservation of nature goes wrong,

nothing else will go right.” — M.S.
Swaminathan
Economic  “GDP measures everything in short,
Growth and except that which makes life
Development worthwhile.” — Robert F. Kennedy
 “Economic growth without investment in
human development is unsustainable
and unethical.” — Amartya Sen