These Chanakya Niti quotes and thoughts tell you a lot about how to deal with life.
Chanakya was born in 375 BCE was an ancient Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. Chanakya was traditionally known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta. The author of Artha-shastra, a compilation book where everything that had been written in India up to his time regarding artha (property, economics, or material success) was a great economist and revolutionary figure.
Born into a Brahman family, he received his education in Takshila which is now in Pakistan. Chanakya had the knowledge of medicine and astrology. He was also familiar with elements of Greek and Persian learning introduced into India by Zoroastrians.
Chanakya became the adviser to Chandragupta who was the founder of the Mauryan empire of northern India. He played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. He dedicated his life and served as the chief advisor to Chandragupta as well as his son Bindusara.
His work is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India but it is was lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE and rediscovered in the early 20th century.
Here we are sharing a collection of Chanakya Niti quotes and thoughts to share his wisdom with you.
Chanakya Niti Quotes
“Just as a mirror reflects as a man’s face his personality is reflected in his choice of friends. One must always be careful in forming friendships and acquaintances, for one’s friends, are in a way, an extension of one’s inner inclinations and tendencies.” ~ Chanakya
“As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.” ~ Chanakya
“God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your God. The soul is your temple.” ~ Chanakya
“Wealth, a friend, a wife, and a kingdom may be regained, but this body when lost may never be acquired again.” ~ Chanakya
“Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness” ~ Chanakya
“Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife is misfortune.” ~ Chanakya
“Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.” ~ Chanakya
“A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first” ~ 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
“Humbleness is at the root of self-control.” ~ Chanakya
Best Chanakya Niti Quotes
“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
“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.” ~ Chanakya
“Skills are called hidden treasure as they save like a mother in a foreign country.” ~ Chanakya
“There is no disease so destructive as lust.” ~ Chanakya
“We should always speak what would please the man of whom we expect a favor, like a hunter who sings sweetly when he desires to shoot a deer.” ~ Chanakya
“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.”~ 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
“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
“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
“The happiness and peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity are not attained by greedy persons restlessly moving here and there.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti Quotes In English
“It is imprudent to advise a fool, care for a woman with bad character, and to be in the company of a lethargic and unhappy person.”~ Chanakya
“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.” ~ Chanakya
“Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.” ~ Chanakya
“A man shouldn’t live in a place where people are not afraid of the law, are shameless, and there is no clever man, where people lack in kindness, and there exists no creativity or art.”~ Chanakya
“A wise person grooms his child carefully because only an educated person with high morale is given true respect in society.”~ Chanakya
“You can guess the origin of a person through his behavior, his native place via his tone, and his food intake by looking at the size of his belly.”~ Chanakya
“Just like a tree laden with scented flowers spreads fragrance in the whole forest. Similarly, a worthy son brings glory to the whole family, community, and the country.”~ Chanakya
“Knowledge is like holy kamdhenu and is like a tree that bears fruit in every season. In unknown territories, it provides protection and brings you rewards.”~ Chanakya
“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
“Till the enemy’s weakness is known, he should be kept on friendly terms.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti Quotes and Thoughts on Life
“Those base men who speak of the secret faults of others destroy themselves like serpents that stray onto anthills.” ~ Chanakya
“The happiness and peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquility is not attained by greedy persons restlessly moving here and there.” ~ Chanakya
“Even if a gem be placed on the foot and a mirror on the head, Still, the gem will not lose its value.” ~ Chanakya
“It is better to die than preserve life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life only pain a moment, but disgrace every day of one’s life.” ~ Chanakya
“A person who cannot decide his goal, simply cannot win.”~ Chanakya
“The wealth earned by unjust means will perish for sure.” ~ Chanakya
“A true son is obedient, a true father is loving, and a true friend is honest” ~ Chanakya
“There are two ways to deal with thorns and wicked people. One is to crush them, and the other is to stay away from them.” ~ Chanakya
“A guru who shows his disciple the path of righteousness leaves a huge debt. It cannot be paid back as none of the physical objects is so precious.” ~ Chanakya
“A man who has mercy and compassion for all creatures is religious for sure. He does not require any religious symbol or sign to prove his religiousness.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti Quotes Images
“Whoever helps you at the time of illness, misfortune, famines, and invasion is your true brother in the real sense.” ~ Chanakya
“Money comes and goes, so is the youth. Life goes and goes the soul, nothing lasts forever. The only thing that stays firm is your faith.” ~ Chanakya
“One who can’t determine his goals; cannot win.” ~ Chanakya
“We have to make people soft who are hard, to attract those who are far, if they do bad for us then even considering our aim we should always love them.” ~ Chanakya
“If you were to choose between an evil person and a snake to keep company with, opt for the snake. Because the snake will bite you only in self-defense but the evil person will put a bite for any reason and any time or always.” ~ Chanakya
“There are only two ways of dealing with the evil persons or thorns. Crush them under your boot or stay far away from them.” ~ Chanakya
“Many a bad habit is developed through overindulgence, and many a good one by chastisement.” ~ Chanakya
“Sinfully acquired wealth may remain for ten years; in the eleventh year it disappears with even the original stock.” ~ Chanakya
“Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty; righteous conduct, for high birth; success for learning; and proper spending for wealth.” ~ Chanakya
“For the moon, though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, can not.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti Quotes And Status
“Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.” ~ Chanakya
“Too much beauty got Sita kidnapped, too much ego got Ravana killed and too much charity got Raja Bali in deep trouble. So too much of anything is bad. One should refrain from ‘too much’.” ~ Chanakya
“There is no present and future of the lazy.” ~ Chanakya
”You can win over a greedy by offering money, a proud person by covering before him. You can win a foolish by agreeing with him and you can win a scholar by truth only.” ~ Chanakya
“There are three gems upon this earth, food, water, and pleasing words — fools consider pieces of rocks as gems.” ~ Chanakya
“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.” ~ Chanakya
“A learned man is honored by the people. A learned man commands respect everywhere for his learning. Indeed, learning is honored everywhere.” ~ Chanakya
“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.” ~ Chanakya
“A person who is aware of future troubles, and fight against them with his intelligence will be always happy. And a person you remains inactive (without working ) waiting for good days to come will destroy his own life.” ~ Chanakya
“The enemy’s enemy is a friend.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti Quoten On Women
“Once a man’s ambition is kindled, nothing can stop him. For a businessman, no country can be too far. For a wise man, there is no such thing as a foreign land. He is at home wherever he goes.” ~ Chanakya
“Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others. The water of the sea received by the clouds is always sweet.” ~ Chanakya
“It is the mind of man alone that is the cause of his bondage or freedom.” ~ Chanakya
“It is better to have only one son endowed with good qualities than a hundred devoid of them. For the moon though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, do not.” ~ Chanakya
“As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is imminent what can you do?” ~ Chanakya
“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 inhabit a country where you are not respected, cannot earn your livelihood, have no friends, or cannot acquire knowledge.” ~ Chanakya
“He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.” ~ Chanakya
“Never settle for anything less than what you deserve. It’s not pride, it’s self-respect.” ~ Chanakya
“Drop the idea that attachment and love are one thing. They are enemies. It is the attachment that destroys all love.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Niti For Success And Love In Life
“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
“The earth is supported by the power of truth, it is the power of truth that makes the sunshine and the winds blow, indeed all things rest upon truth.” ~ Chanakya
“Never reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.” ~ Chanakya
“One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others can use neither knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.” ~ Chanakya
“Before you start some work always ask yourselves three questions why I am 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 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
“As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.” ~ Chanakya
“The world’s biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.” ~ Chanakya
“There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.” ~ Chanakya
“Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher full of poison with milk on top.” ~ Chanakya
Chanakya Neeti Quotes
“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
“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
“The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the directions of the wind. But, the goodness of a person spreads in all direction” ~ Chanakya
“God dwells not in the wooden, or stone or earthen idols. His abode is in our feeling, our thoughts. It is only through the feeling that we deem God existing in these idols” ~ Chanakya
“Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.” ~ 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
“Once you start working on something don’t be afraid of failure and don’t abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.” ~ Chanakya
“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
“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.” ~ Chanakya
“No one can defeat a powerful mind.” ~ Chanakya
“The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.” ~ Chanakya
“Learn from the mistakes of others….. you can’t live long enough to make them all yourselves” ~ Chanakya
Did you learn something new from Chanakya Niti’s quotes?
Chanakya was quite an inspirational figure of his time. His writing and works are compared with the famous Italian writers such as Aristotle. It is believed that only because of Chanakya, the Mauryan empire under Chandragupta and later under Ashoka became a model of efficient government.
We hope you will enjoy these Chanakya Neeti quotes and do learn a thing or two from this great philosopher.
Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section and tell us which one was your favorite Chanakya Niti quotes or if you want to ask any questions or have any query send them via Contact Us
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