N. R. Narayana Murthy

A great leader also has the ability to make people an inch taller in his presence.

I think there are opportunities outside India as well as in India. In fact, some of the largest projects that most Indian software companies are doing are in India.

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.

I have no desire to enter politics. Because I am not suited for that.

I do not believe in any legacy. The past is dead and gone.

I have always focused on the bottom line.

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 think people like Bill Gates, who have given away enormous sums of money, are shining examples for all of us to follow.

When people get rich, they cut themselves off from the context that has earned them these riches - the context of the common men. They forget they are part of society.

If my company spends money, it should be disclosed to the shareholders and how it was spent. With my personal money, I can do anything I want. But company money should be disclosed.

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.

I have always looked at my competencies before accepting any responsibility.

Clearly, healthcare is a very important sector.

Today, the biggest bottleneck to the growth of a corporation is availability of good talent.

My personal view is that organisations have a capacity to throw up extraordinary leaders to suit the occasion.

If longevity is the best index to measure a company, a basic requirement is the ability of the corporation to generate new and new leaders.

When you are in business for a long time, you go through good times and bad times. When you go through bad times, you learn to control costs, satisfy customers better, satisfy employees better and become more transparent. Therefore, you build character in the company.

Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of the most respected business persons.

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.

India needs to sustain its high growth rate.

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 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.

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.

The lack of financial strength to avail healthcare is a major challenge.

Although we have enough healthcare support, often it doesn't reach the poor and needy. In this scenario, technology is the best solution.

Effective use of technology is important to deliver healthcare. By leveraging technology, you can bring down lack of access and cost of healthcare.

Leading by example is the most powerful advice you can give to anybody.

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.

Even the most dishonest officer would want to be seen as a role model for his children.

Entrepreneurship is all about an idea that creates differentiated business value to one's customers. You must be able to convince your customers about the benefits that association with you or your products will give them. People are ready to pay if they are convinced about your services or products.

All developmental activities for the common man such as education, healthcare, shelter and food distribution should be handled by reputed private sector institutions. It should be a competitive market in order to prevent the formation of monopolies.

The unique instrument to eradicate poverty and usher in prosperity is our youth.

The biggest impediment to growth is in our minds and not in the world outside, and only constant in the world is change.

We are not the same India that the world saw in the 1970s and '80s. Hence, we have a responsibility to live up to the pedestal on which we have been put.

Indian IT corporations have made work in the U.S. much more efficient by enhancing their productivity and quality of work. We have helped to add sufficient value to the corporations in the U.S.

The primary difference that I have found between the system of education in India and other countries, particularly the U.S., is that they focus on problem solving and relating theories to reality around them. These two things are lacking in the education system in India.

Rahul Gandhi is very idealistic and a very decent human being. He has real concerns for the downtrodden.

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.

Nobody is bothered about an institution more than its alumni.

If England became a world power, it was because of the industrial revolution.

You need to mesh the voices of people with expertise and meritocracy.

Entrepreneurship is all about deferred gratification.

It is a well-known fact that bringing in technologies in retail sector is good for consumers.

Hinduism has an enormous capacity to absorb from outside influences and accept it in a peaceful and steady manner without perturbing the system.

I have known Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla for a long time. He is a good man. He is a decent man.

I am a man in a hurry.

I've always enjoyed mathematics. It is the most precise and concise way of expressing any idea.

Investment in training is a huge necessity for knowledge-based corporations.

A professorship appeals very much because I enjoy being with younger people.

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.