Topic-wise Quote Bank for UPSC Essays
Education & Knowledge
"Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man."
— Swami Vivekananda
"Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge,
knowledge makes you great."
— A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
— Nelson Mandela
Democracy, Governance & Constitution
"Constitution is not a mere lawyer’s document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is
always the spirit of Age."
— B.R. Ambedkar
"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high… into that heaven of
freedom, my Father, let my country awake."
— Rabindranath Tagore
"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people."
— Abraham Lincoln
Social Justice, Equality & Inclusion
"I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women
have achieved."
— B.R. Ambedkar
"The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable
members."
— Mahatma Gandhi
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Ethics, Integrity & Values
"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are
screwed first."
— Chanakya
"In the happiness of his subjects lies the king’s happiness."
— Kautilya
"There is no God higher than Truth."
— Mahatma Gandhi
Technology & Human Values
"Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it."
— A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."
— Albert Einstein
"Technology must be inclusive and not exacerbate the digital divide."
— Raghuram Rajan
Youth & Demographic Dividend
"My faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation. Out of them will
come my workers."
— Swami Vivekananda
"Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in
action."
— A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
"A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline."
— Kofi Annan
Women Empowerment & Gender Equality
"Go, get education… be self-reliant, be industrious, work—gather wisdom and
riches."
— Savitribai Phule
"The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes
our life in harmony with all existence."
— Rabindranath Tagore
"We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back."
— Malala Yousafzai
Nationalism, Patriotism & Unity
"Give me blood and I will give you freedom."
— Subhas Chandra Bose
"We must have life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas."
— Swami Vivekananda
"Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and
conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work."
— A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Additional Quotes with Explanations
Science & Environment
"We have a choice: to explore or to go extinct."
— Carl Sagan
🡆 How to use: Use in essays on environmental sustainability, space
exploration, or scientific responsibility.
"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the
universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction."
— Rachel Carson
🡆 How to use: Use in environment-themed essays, especially to
highlight awareness leading to conservation.
Globalization & Development
"Development is freedom."
— Amartya Sen
🡆 How to use: Use when discussing human development indices,
globalization’s impact, and inclusive growth.
"The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old
ones."
— John Maynard Keynes
🡆 How to use: Great for essays on reforms, innovation, or breaking
traditional bottlenecks in policy-making.
Media, Freedom of Speech & Misinformation
"Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
— George Orwell
🡆 How to use: Relevant in essays on freedom of expression,
journalism, or censorship.
"The medium is the message."
— Marshall McLuhan
🡆 How to use: Use when discussing the role and influence of digital
and traditional media.
Justice, Law & Order
"Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those
who are."
— Benjamin Franklin
🡆 How to use: Powerful for essays on judicial reforms or social justice.
"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is
the worst."
— Aristotle
🡆 How to use: Use in topics concerning rule of law and ethical
governance.
