N. R. Narayana Murthy
If England became a world power, it was because of the industrial revolution.Collection: Power
It's very important to learn quick lessons from your failures, very important to recognize symptoms of failure pretty early, and it is very, very important to not to be attached too much to the idea - you have to know when to give up an idea.Collection: Failure
Infosys demonstrated to the world that an Indian company could implement standards of quality, operations, finance that compare with the best. That is a legacy I am happy with.Collection: Finance
I was the first businessman to say, 'You should give tax benefit to only small companies. You should say your profits are exempt to a limit of Rs. 50 crore or so, but beyond that, you should pay taxes.' I have been arguing with successive finance ministers on this.Collection: Finance
To me, patriotism is about working ethically and wholeheartedly in our chosen field.Collection: Patriotism
When you run a part of the relay and pass on the baton, there is no sense of unfinished business in your mind. There is just the sense of having done your part to the best of your ability. That is it. The hope is to pass on the baton to somebody who will run faster and run a better marathon.Collection: Hope
Leadership is about doing the right thing, even if it going against a vast number of naysayers and mediocre people.Collection: Leadership
Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.Collection: Change
The future of any corporation is as good as the value system of the leaders and followers in the organization.Collection: Future
If the U.S. became the undisputed superpower that it is today, it was primarily because of its technology, whether it is in transportation, agriculture, high-tech industry, medicine, etc.Collection: Technology
India is known for much development that has happened since our independence, but at the same time, we have also failed on many levels. It is the responsibility of the future generation to ensure that all these failures are corrected and help create a civilised society with equal opportunities for one and all.Collection: Independence
The world expects India to be one of the leaders in solving the problems of politics and economics. India sits at the high table in most major multilateral deliberations. What India says is heard with attention and seriousness.
Effective use of technology is important to deliver healthcare. By leveraging technology, you can bring down lack of access and cost of healthcare.
Although we have enough healthcare support, often it doesn't reach the poor and needy. In this scenario, technology is the best solution.
The lack of financial strength to avail healthcare is a major challenge.
In order to improve healthcare, we'll have to spend more on it, increase accountability and decentralize services, enforce standards and reinstate people's faith in it.
I believe all universities should at least offer courses in politics and policy implementation.
It is a well-known fact that bringing in technologies in retail sector is good for consumers.
Any mechanism that will ensure benefits to consumer, any mechanism that will ensure that we do not waste food grains, any mechanism that helps the poorest of the poor is a welcome step.
India needs to sustain its high growth rate.
Nobody is bothered about an institution more than its alumni.
A great leader also has the ability to make people an inch taller in his presence.
We all, as engineers, doctors, have a big responsibility to bring smiles on the faces of suffering humanity.
The principle of democracy is all about delegation of power by the vast majority of citizens through a few chosen representatives chosen on merit and competence.
Leading by example is the most powerful advice you can give to anybody.
I have always looked at my competencies before accepting any responsibility.
I am a man in a hurry.
I am what we call a 'karma yogi' in Sanskrit. A karma yogi is somebody who believes in data. I collect a lot of data.
I've always enjoyed mathematics. It is the most precise and concise way of expressing any idea.
Entrepreneurship is all about deferred gratification.
I do not believe in any legacy. The past is dead and gone.
My passion is to create a better society for our future citizens.
Today, the biggest bottleneck to the growth of a corporation is availability of good talent.
Mahatma Gandhi was someone who demonstrated the tremendous power of leadership by example.
I think, my own personal view is there should be higher and higher levels of autonomy; government should not interfere in setting up colleges, in running colleges. The market, the society will decide which is a good university, which is not a good university, rather than government mandating.
I think, at the end of the day, you have to reduce friction to businesses, ideally to zero, so that more and more entrepreneurs can create more and more jobs with higher and higher disposable income.
I think India has several advantages in the knowledge sector, in the software sector.
I think every country has to recognize its competitive advantage and liberate its strengths to be a partner in global trade, and that's the only way you can survive and succeed.
Every company has to identify what I call its strategic resources, and make sure that it grabs as much of its strategic resources as possible.
It's well proved economics that if a country which is rich and a country that is poor come together in global trade, sooner or later the standard of living of the poor country will go up towards that of the rich country.
Even if a company is taken private, at some stage people want to make it public.
Often times I have been asked about the attributes for success, and I have said that you need two attributes for succeeding as an entrepreneur: one, courage, second, luck.
Infosys is an absolute meritocracy. Even in a meritocracy, other things being equal, you have to give opportunity to the more experienced candidate.
I want Infosys to be a company which is globally respected and in where people belonging to different nationalities, races and religious beliefs will work with intense competition but utmost courtesy, dignity and co-operation in adding greater value to our stakeholders day after day.
Science is about unravelling nature.
Engineering or technology is all about using the power of science to make life better for people, to reduce cost, to improve comfort, to improve productivity, etc.
Rahul Gandhi is very idealistic and a very decent human being. He has real concerns for the downtrodden.
You need to mesh the voices of people with expertise and meritocracy.
Hinduism has an enormous capacity to absorb from outside influences and accept it in a peaceful and steady manner without perturbing the system.
Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of the most respected business persons.