Quotes from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ·  196 pages

Rating: (29K votes)


“Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Dreams are not those which comes while we are sleeping, but dreams are those when u don't sleep before fulfilling them.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Be active! Take on responsibility! Work for the things you believe in. If you do not, you are surrendering your fate to others.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“why be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems? When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



“The sides of the mountain sustain life, not the peak. This is where things grow, experience is gained, and technologies are mastered. The importance of the peak lies only in the fact that it defines the sides.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome electromagnetic energy. This energy is released into the ether each night, as the mind falls into the sleep state. Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with the cosmic currents. That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested. You can rely, young man, upon this ageless promise as surely as you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise... and of Spring.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“What makes life in Indian organizations difficult is the widespread prevalence of this very contemptuous pride. It stops us from listening to our juniors, subordinates and people down the line. You cannot expect a person to deliver results if you humiliate him, nor can you expect him to be creative if you abuse him or despise him. The line between firmness and harshness, between strong leadership and bullying, between discipline and vindictiveness is very fine, but it has to be drawn.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“To succeed in life and achieve results, you must understand and master three mighty forces— desire, belief, and expectation.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“If you want to leave your footprints On the sands of time Do not drag your feet.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



“My story—the story of the son of Jainulabdeen, who lived for over a hundred years on Mosque Street in Rameswaram island and died there; the story of a lad who sold newspapers to help his brother; the story of a pupil reared by Sivasubramania Iyer and Iyadurai Solomon; the story of a student taught by teachers like Pandalai; the story of an engineer spotted by MGK Menon and groomed by the legendary Prof. Sarabhai; the story of a scientist tested by failures and setbacks; the story of a leader supported by a large team of brilliant and dedicated professionals. This story will end with me, for I have no belongings in the worldly sense. I have acquired nothing, built nothing, possess nothing—no family, sons, daughters.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us to tap and develop these powers.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“God has not promised Skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways All our life through; God has not promised Sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without pain.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Let not thy winged days be spent in vain. When once gone no gold can buy them back again.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“A big shot is a little shot who keeps on shooting, so keep trying.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



“He who knows others is learned, but the wise one is the one who knows himself. Learning without wisdom is of no use.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“when your hopes and dreams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage, you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“My impression of the American people can be summarized by a quotation from Benjamin Franklin, "Those things that hurt instruct!" I realised that people in this part of the world meet their problems head on. They attempt to get out of them rather than suffer them.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“once your mind stretches to a new level it never goes back to its original dimension.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



“For all your days prepare And meet them ever alike When you are the anvil, bear - When you are the hammer, strike.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“I have repeatedly seen how people are poor at articulating what they want—until they see a work centre doing something they don't want them to do.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“The country doesn't deserve anything less than success from us. Let us aim for success".”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“There are boundaries that dictate life: you can only lift so much weight; you can only learn so fast; you can only work so hard; you can only go so far!”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



“Within the mind are all the resources required for successful living. Ideas are present in the consciousness, which when released and given scope to grow and take shape, can lead to successful events.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“The real journey of the Indian aerospace programme, however, had begun with the Rohini Sounding Rocket (RSR) Programme. What is it that distinguishes a sounding rocket from a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) and from a missile? In fact, they are three”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“A large number of scientists and engineers leave this country at their first opportunity to earn more money abroad. It is true that they definitely get greater monetary benefits, but could anything compensate for this love and respect from one's own countrymen?”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography


“Indians have been both afflicted and enriched by centuries of migrations. Loyalty to different rulers has dulled our capacity for a single allegiance. Instead, we have developed an extraordinary ability to be compassionate and cruel, sensitive and callous, deep and fickle, all at the same time. To the untrained eye, we may appear colourful and picturesque; to the critical eye, we are but shoddy imitations of our various masters.”
― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, quote from Wings of Fire: An Autobiography



About the author

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Born place: in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Born date October 15, 1931
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., quote from Letter from the Birmingham Jail


“As he sat at his desk in his comfortable office armchair, he allowed his body to sink into a creeping state of drowsiness, and for a few moments enjoyed the sensation of dozing off. It was a sensation akin to numbness, as if his hands and feet were melting away.”
― Yasutaka Tsutsui, quote from Paprika


“As of today, I rebel against death! Work seems frivolous; I'm a proud man, and a lifetime's work would be too brief an agony for me. At the last moment, I'd attack...to the right...to the left...And then—oh!—sweet old soul of mine, eternity would not have been wasted on us!”
― Arthur Rimbaud, quote from A Season in Hell


“This is an existential crisis rooted not only in race—which the corner has slowly transcended—but in the unresolved disaster of the American rust-belt, in the slow, seismic shift that is shutting down the assembly lines, devaluing physical labor, and undercutting the union pay scale. Down on the corner, some of the walking wounded used to make steel, but Sparrows Point isn’t hiring the way it once did. And some used to load the container ships at Seagirt and Locust Point, but the port isn’t what she used to be either. Others worked at Koppers, American Standard, or Armco, but those plants are gone now. All of which means precious little to anyone thriving in the postindustrial age. For those of us riding the wave, the world spins on an axis of technological prowess in an orbit of ever-expanding information. In that world, the men and women of the corner are almost incomprehensibly useless and have been so for more than a decade now. How”
― David Simon, quote from The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood


“In Ireland, you go to someone's house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you're really just fine. She asks if you're sure. You say of course you're sure, really, you don't need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don't need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn't mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it's no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting.

In America, someone asks you if you want a cup of tea, you say no, and then you don't get any damned tea.

I liked the Irish way better.”
― C.E. Murphy, quote from Urban Shaman


Interesting books

Life and Death in Shanghai
(9.4K)
Life and Death in Sh...
by Nien Cheng
Blood Rites
(19K)
Blood Rites
by Quinn Loftis
City of the Beasts
(23.6K)
City of the Beasts
by Isabel Allende
Deerskin
(18.3K)
Deerskin
by Robin McKinley
Main Street
(21.4K)
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
Ever
(18.5K)
Ever
by Gail Carson Levine

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.