I said that my father was not a politician. I, instead, think I am. But not in the sense of being interested in a political career - rather in the sense that I think it necessary to strive to build a certain India, the India I want.

The India I want, I'll never tire of repeating, is a more just and less poor India, one entirely free of foreign influences. If I thought the country was already marching toward these objectives, I'd give up politics immediately and retire as prime minister.

I want to state that there will be friendship between Bangladesh and ourselves. And not a one-sided friendship, of course - no one does anything for nothing; each has something to give and something to take.

It's not at all hard to reconcile the two things if you organize your time intelligently. Even when my sons were little, I was working.

Have a bias toward action - let's see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.

The power to question is the basis of all human progress.

The immediate is often the enemy of the ultimate.