B. R. Ambedkar Quotes

“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”
― Bhimrao Ambedkar

“Life should be great rather than long.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Though, I was born a Hindu, I solemnly assure you that I will not die as a Hindu”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“Lost rights are never regained by appeals to the conscience of the usurpers,
but by relentless struggle…. Goats are used for sacrificial offerings and not lions.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Humans are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die.”― Bhimrao Ambedkar

“Freedom of mind is the real freedom.
A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one’s existence.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did not proclaim them to be infallible.
The religion of Buddha has the capacity to change according to times, a quality which no other religion can claim to have…
Now what is the basis of Buddhism?
If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason.
There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society.”― Bhim Rao Ambedkar

“A historian ought to be exact, sincere and impartial;
free from passion, unbiased by interest, fear, resentment or affection;
and faithful to the truth, which is the mother of history the preserver of great actions, the enemy of oblivion, the witness of the past, the director of the future.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.”
― Bhim Rao Ambedkar

“religion is for man and not man for religion”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“A safe army is better than a safe border”― Bhimrao Ambedkar

“My definition of democracy is –
A form and a method of Government whereby revolutionary changes in the social life are brought about without bloodshed.
That is the real test. It is perhaps the severest test. But when you are judging the quality of the material you must put it to the severest test.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“The relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends.”
― Bhimrao Ambedkar

“History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.”― Bhimrao Ambedkar

“A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society”― B.R. Ambedkar

“I do not know whether you draw a distinction between principles and rules. But I do… Rules are practical; they are habitual ways of doing things according to prescription. But principles are intellectual; they are useful methods of judging things… The principle may be wrong, but the act is conscious and responsible. The rule may be right, but the act is mechanical. A religious act may not be a correct act, but must at least be a responsible act. To permit this responsibility, religion must mainly be a matter of principles only. It cannot be a matter of rules. The moment it degenerates into rules it ceases to be religion, as it kills the responsibility which is the essence of a truly religious act.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Every man who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is no fit to rule another country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government.”― Bhim Rao Ambedkar

“Every man must have a philosophy of life,
for everyone must have a standard by which to measure his conduct.
And philosophy is nothing but a standard by which to measure.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“the outcaste is a bye-product of the caste system. There will be outcastes as long as there are castes. Nothing can emancipate the outcaste except the destruction of the caste system.”― B R Ambedkar

“If you ask me, my ideal would be the society based on liberty, equality and fraternity.
An ideal society should be mobile and
full of channels of conveying a change taking place in one part to other parts.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“The basic idea underlying religion is to create an atmosphere for the spiritual development of the individual.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it.”
― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Justice has always evoked ideas of equality, of proportion of compensation.
Equity signifies equality. Rules and regulations, right and righteousness are concerned with equality in value.
If all men are equal, then all men are of the same essence, and the common essence entitles them of the same fundamental rights and equal liberty…
In short justice is another name of liberty, equality and fraternity.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“One cannot have any respect or regard for men who take the position of the reformer and
then refuse to see the logical consequences of that position, let alone following them out in action.”
― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“How many generations of ours have worn themselves out by rubbing their foreheads on the steps of the god? But when did the god take pit on you? What big thing has he done for you? Generation after generation, you have been used to clean the village of its garbage and god gave you the dead animals to eat. In spite of all that, god did not show you any pity. It is not this god that you worship, it is your ignorance.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“I refuse to join with them in performing the miracle—I will not say trick—of liberating the oppressed with the gold of the tyrant, and raising the poor with the cash of the rich.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Law and order are the medicine of the politic body and when the politic body gets sick, medicine must be administered.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Democracy is not merely a form of Government…It is essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards fellowmen.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“You must abolish your slavery yourselves. Do not depend for its abolition upon god or a superman. Remember that it is not enough that a people are numerically in the majority. They must be always watchful, strong and self-respecting to attain and maintain success.We must shape our course ourselves and by ourselves.”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“There can thus be no manner of doubt that the Muslim Society in India is afflicted by the same social evils as afflict the Hindu Society. Indeed, the Muslims have all the social evils of the Hindus and something more. That something more is the compulsory system of purdah for Muslim women. As a consequence of the purdah system a segregation of the Muslim women is brought about. The”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Religion, social status, and property are all sources of power and authority which one man has, to control the liberty of another”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Equality may be a fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing principle.”
― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Caste is another name for control. Caste puts a limit on enjoyment. Caste does not allow a person to transgress caste limits in pursuit of his enjoyment. That is the meaning of such caste restrictions as inter-dining and inter-marriage … These being my views I am opposed to all those who are out to destroy the Caste System.57”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Once you clear the minds of the people of this misconception and enable them to realise that what they are told is religion is not religion, but that it is really law, you will be in a position to urge its amendment or abolition.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Dalit aspirations are a breach of peace. Annihilation of Caste is a breach of peace.”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“Plato had no perception of the uniqueness of every individual, of his incommensurability with others, of each individual as forming a class of his own. He had no recognition of the infinite diversity of active tendencies, and the combination of tendencies of which an individual is capable.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“In my opinion, it is only when Hindu society becomes a casteless society that it can hope to have strength enough to defend itself. Without such internal strength, swaraj for Hindus may turn out to be only a step towards slavery.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Every Congressman who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is not fit to rule another country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“In the Hindu religion, one can[not] have freedom of speech. A Hindu must surrender his freedom of speech. He must act according to the Vedas. If the Vedas do not support the actions, instructions must be sought from the Smritis, and if the Smritis fail to provide any such instructions, he must follow in the footsteps of the great men. He is not supposed to reason. Hence, so long as you are in the Hindu religion, you cannot expect to have freedom of thought”― B.R. Ambedkar

“It is not enough to be electors only. It is necessary to be law-makers; otherwise those who can be law-makers will be the masters of those who can only be electors.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“A bitter thing cannot be made sweet.
The taste of anything can be changed.
But poison cannot be changed into nectar.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“The path of social reform like the path to heaven at any rate in India, is strewn with many difficulties. Social reform in India has few friends and many critics.”― Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

“To leave inequality between class and class, between sex and sex, which is the soul of Hindu society, and to go on passing legislation relating to economic problems is to make a farce of our constitution and to build a palace on a dung heap”― Dr B R Ambedkar

“Nothing is infallible. Nothing is binding forever. Everything is subject to inquiry and examination.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“But once a missionary religion, Hinduism perforce ceased to be a missionary religion after the time when the Hindu society developed its system of castes. For, caste is incompatible with conversion. To”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“no civilized society of today presents more survivals of primitive times than does the Indian society. Its religion is essentially primitive and its tribal code, in spite of the advance of time and civilization, operates in all its pristine vigour even today.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Everything, you see, is impermanent.”― B.R. Ambedkar

“I am convinced that the real remedy is intermarriage. Fusion of blood can alone create the feeling of being kith and kin, and unless this feeling of kinship, of being kindred, becomes paramount, the separatist feeling—the feeling of being aliens—created by caste will not vanish.”
― B.R. Ambedkar

“You must not only discard the Shastras, you must deny their authority, as did Buddha and Nanak. You must have courage to tell the Hindus that what is wrong with them is their religion—the religion which has produced in them this notion of the sacredness of Caste. Will you show that courage?”― B.R. Ambedkar

“Slavery does not merely mean a legalised form of subjection.
It means a state of society in which some men are forced to accept from others the purposes which control their conduct.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“I do not want that our loyalty as Indians should be in the slightest way affected by any competitive loyalty whether that loyalty arises out of our religion, out of our culture or out of our language.
I want all people to be Indians first, Indian last and nothing else but Indians.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self too.”― Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar