ThoughtForTheDay

• No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism. — Barack Obama

  No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism. — Barack Obama ...

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  27 Jan 2025
• Good relations with our neighbours are essential for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. — Manmohan Singh

  Good relations with our neighbours are essential for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. — Manmohan Singh ...

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  24 Jan 2025
• Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy. — Mahatma Gandhi

  Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy. — Mahatma Gandhi ...

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  23 Jan 2025
• Getting ready for a global pandemic is every bit as important as nuclear deterrence. — Bill Gates

  Getting ready for a global pandemic is every bit as important as nuclear deterrence. — Bill Gates ...

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  22 Jan 2025
• A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus. — Martin Luther King, Jr

  A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus. — Martin Luther King, Jr ...

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  21 Jan 2025
• The 21st century will be the Asian century. — Kishore Mahbubani

  The 21st century will be the Asian century. — Kishore Mahbubani ...

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  20 Jan 2025
• The 21st century will be the Asian century. — Kishore Mahbubani

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  20 Jan 2025
• We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. — Jimmy Carter

  We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. — Jimmy Carter ...

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  19 Jan 2025
• Radicalism and extremism exist in every society on some level. — Edward Snowden

  Radicalism and extremism exist in every society on some level. — Edward Snowden ...

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  17 Jan 2025
• Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated. — George Bernard Shaw

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  16 Jan 2025
• The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. — Edmund Burke

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  15 Jan 2025
• ALBERT Einstein told the world, “Everything is relative”. A clever tweak to this truism popped up on my phone the other day: “For some people who amass power and wealth for their relatives, ‘relative is everything’.” I chuckled at this satirical jab as I recalled an incident. It happened more than a decade ago at an ATM booth located in a fuel station complex on the outskirts of Muscat, the capital of Oman, where I worked for nearly 13 years. As a white-collar professional, I had maintained a self-imposed minimum balance of Rs 50,000 (in equivalent local currency of Omani riyals) in my account, mainly to cater to emergencies like an unforeseen trip to India. However, during one month, I incurred several unplanned expenses. As I entered the ATM booth and withdrew money, I knew that my bank balance had dropped to Rs 30,000, breaching my safety net by Rs 20,000. This realisation made me uneasy as I stepped out of the booth. Just then, a young Indian expat worker in a blue coverall hesitantly approached me. “Saab, I don’t know how to operate these machines. Can you help me?” he asked, holding out his ATM card. “What do you want to do?” I asked. “I want to deposit money into my account,” he said, holding two one-riyal notes amounting to Rs 350. “This machine is for withdrawal. You’ll need a CDM — a cash deposit machine,” I explained. Watching his confused look, I quickly reassured him, “No problem. I’ll help you.” Guiding him to the nearby CDM, I deposited his money. As I handed back his ATM card, he hesitantly looked at me and said, “Saab, I need one more favour.” “What is it?” I asked, my impatience growing. “I want to withdraw five riyals from my account,” he said, his voice faltering. I was perplexed. “Withdraw five riyals — in other words, just Rs 875? Is he up to some prank on me?” I said to myself. “Then why did you deposit two riyals just now?” I asked him. His answer floored me. “The ATM doesn’t allow withdrawals of less than five riyals, and I only have three in my account. That’s why I deposited two riyals, so I can take out my entire five riyals.” Moved by his financial plight, I immediately took him back to the ATM and withdrew his five riyals for him. Driving back home, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Just a few minutes ago, I had felt bad for not being able to maintain a minimum balance of Rs 50,000 in my account. Now, after meeting this worker, I understood how blessed I was. Indeed, Einstein was dead right about relativity.

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  14 Jan 2025
• Information is the oxygen of the modern age. — Ronald Reagan

  Information is the oxygen of the modern age. — Ronald Reagan ...

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  12 Jan 2025
• The most vital right is the right to love and be loved. Emma Goldman

  The most vital right is the right to love and be loved. Emma Goldman ...

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  10 Jan 2025
• The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. — Benjamin Disraeli

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  09 Jan 2025
• Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism. — Carl Jung

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  08 Jan 2025
• Competitiveness demands flexibility, choice and openness. — David Cameron

  Competitiveness demands flexibility, choice and openness. — David Cameron ...

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  07 Jan 2025
• A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure. — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr

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  06 Jan 2025
• As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it. — Antoine de Saint Exupery

  As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it. — Antoine de Saint Exupery ...

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  05 Jan 2025
• Thought for the day

  Thought for the day Real museums are places where Time is transformed into Space. — Orhan Pamuk ...

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  03 Jan 2025
• Thought for the day

  Thought for the day To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice. — Desmond Tutu ...

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  02 Jan 2025
• Thought for the day

  Thought for the day My motto is — trade, not aid. Aid is a crutch. Trade builds pride. — PV Narasimha Rao ...

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  31 Dec 2024
• Thought for the day

  Thought for the day The greatest need of the contemporary international system is an agreed concept of order. — Henry A Kissinger ...

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  30 Dec 2024
• Ultimately, all economic processes are meant to serve the interests of our people. — Manmohan Singh

  Ultimately, all economic processes are meant to serve the interests of our people. — Manmohan Singh ...

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  30 Dec 2024
• Much of the growth and rise of India can be attributed to Manmohan Singh. — Barack Obama

  Much of the growth and rise of India can be attributed to Manmohan Singh. — Barack Obama ...

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  28 Dec 2024
• Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically. — Mao Zedong

  Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically. — Mao Zedong ...

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  27 Dec 2024
• Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your way. — David Frost

  Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your way. — David Frost ...

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  26 Dec 2024
• A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity. — The Dalai Lama

  A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity. — The Dalai Lama ...

  Devsi Sharma

  23 Dec 2024
• A country needs to be fair to all its citizens — whether they are of a different ethnicity or gender. — Chinua Achebe

  A country needs to be fair to all its citizens — whether they are of a different ethnicity or gender. — Chinua Achebe ...

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  23 Dec 2024
• Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause. — Mahatma Gandhi

  Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause. — Mahatma Gandhi ...

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  21 Dec 2024