Ratan Tata

“When I took up the position of chairman, I had an underlying dilemma in my mind on how to fill the shoes of a very great person. The decision I made was to just be myself.”

“I am an introvert, kind of a private person, and I tried to remain that way. Some of the media glare I could not escape, so I faced up to it as part of the job.”

“I believe we can bring more technology to bear on our initiatives and that we can be a more effective grant giver than we have been thus far.”

“I seek perfection and this has been a source of motivation for me and also frustration. Architecture — if you do it well, if it results in achieving what you want — can be a fount of extraordinary motivation, and unending frustration if you are not able to accomplish what you have set your mind on.”

“I have endeavoured to do the best I could with the responsibilities I have had.”

“We believe we can make a greater difference through large projects that serve mankind.”

“Philanthropy starts with the donor, which may lead you to say it’s personal. Somebody’s wife dies of leukaemia and he decides to establish a hospital to treat the disease; somebody loses a child in a car accident and decides to set up an institute for road safety.”

“Philanthropy in its true sense is not personal; it is humanity-based. It’s about the sensitivity you have to all the hardships that people face.”

“If I could sum it up in one phrase, I’d say my greatest desire as an Indian is to be proud of my country because it is an equal-opportunity nation.”

“The day we all become Indians again, that’s when the country will be strong.”

“The involvement and support of state governments is crucial because they have the administration, the penetration, the resources and, in many instances, astute individuals who are very happy to see the money coming in being spent where it should be.”

“Our intention is to have our grants create sustainable solutions and bring self-sufficiency to communities, rather than establish long-term dependencies.”

“Technology is a tremendous tool in solving social problems.”

“We should never be stingy or myopic and say that this is for other countries to do and not for us. India has the capability and the intellect to pursue great things, but we sometimes don’t put enough resources into our efforts to find success.”

“A pet comes after you seeking nothing but your affection. And what a wonderful world it would be if all human beings reciprocated that love and affection.”

“India is still a developing country, one burdened with enormous inequities. It is our duty to play whatever role we can, in whichever way we can, to diminish those disparities.”

“My view is that our expression of social responsibility cannot be measured in terms of profit or cost.”

“Rather than trying to define what constitutes leadership, it would be easier to say that you are a leader when you are committed to doing the right thing over the easy or best-for-you thing, and of doing this irrespective of how hard it is.”

“Companies that are not good corporate citizens—that don't hold to standards and that allow the environment and the community to suffer—are really criminals in today's world.”

“My only regret is that I am not 20 years younger, because I think India is going through a very exciting period in its history.”

“I want to go to bed at night feeling that I have not succumbed.”

“The economic recovery aside, we have to rekindle hope, the feeling that we have good tidings to look forward to.”

“Whenever we have had a calamity, and I’m speaking from a global perspective, there is something good that comes into play.”

“No, I had no idea. In my mind, I was prepared to liquidate the entire group, sell off every asset we had, in order to pay that debt. We had to do this.”

“Because if we had not, no one would ever have trusted us again. And everything we have worked for would have been thrown away.”

“I'm an optimist… there is perhaps the highest degree of entrepreneurship in our country… we need to harness that.”