Vallabhai Patel Quotes

Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the name strikes a chord of unity, strength and desire - the desire to stand up, the desire to do good and the desire to live up to the values we call our own. This post is a collection of 10 such powerful quotes from Sardar Vallabhai Patel which bring us closer to the word of unity. This unity is not just among fellow men or women we see, but the unity within ourselves to define a path to move towards. 

For the person known as the iron man of India, the first deputy prime minister of this country (Wikipedia,2018), these quotes mean a lot more in their context and definition. The amazing feat is that it is no less a fact that these still remain as powerful and relevant in the current day scenario. Without much ado, presenting you with the ten such quotes from Sardar Vallabhai Patel which strike the gentle soul with a spark of unity.

Presenting Sardar Vallabhai Patel quotes to inspire us towards unity and brotherhood. For more independence day quotes, please refer to our collection on inspiring independence heroes and their message to us.

Little pools of water tend to become stagnant and useless, but if they are joined together to form a big lake the atmosphere is cooled and there is universal benefit.

It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? We are so often engrossed in a competitive world with the agenda of trying to prove ourselves better than our neighbour. I know that most of school and college life went into that. And of course, when we got into work, it was more about promotions, earning the extra salary and the usual goals that ensue. If however, we move a little further and look a bit deeper, we realise that there is a goal slightly bigger than ourselves.

I suppose Sardar Vallabhai Patel says something similar in an elevated sense. There is a higher cause that goes beyond petty competitiveness. It brings life back into its own little perspective. We are after all human beings, aren’t we? As long as we are not thinking of achieving something together, as long as we don’t come together and unite with a bigger goal, we are pretty much running a rat race. And the wins from that race are not that big either! 

Little pools of water tend to become stagnant and useless, but if they are joined together to form a big lake the atmosphere is cooled and there is universal benefit.

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Caste, Community will rapidly disappear. We have to speedily forget all these things. Such boundaries hamper our growth

We will always have the differences we can find. These differences were of caste, community and creed. They are of education, colour, status and money. The differences forever tend to be increasing. 

If we pause for a minute - so are the commonalities. "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". If we wish to find beauty in things we seek and the things we see - there is often a beautiful streak in life. If we wish to see the differences, there will always be plenty of them. These are the boundaries that will keep us from progressing, looking at the bigger picture in life. On the other hand, if we decide to remain petty - well there is often less hope in a situation like that isn't it? 

Caste, Community will rapidly disappear. We have to speedily forget all these things. Such boundaries hamper our growth

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Manpower without unity is not a strength, unless it is harmonised and united properly - then it becomes spiritual power

"United we stand, divided we fall". It was true to the age-old analogy in which breaking a single piece of stick was much easier than breaking a bundle of those. Divide and Rule might have been a thing of the past. But the concept still remains afresh. As long as there is a focus on smaller details, we tend to miss the bigger picture. 

The facts stay true - a bigger picture needs to drive the smaller ones. It is a constant debate between vision and individual strength. It is amazing to work with or be with people with extraordinary strengths. But these strengths tend to be meaningless if they are not driving us anywhere. If we are not building our own muscles in the company of such amazing people - we are perhaps disrespecting them. Inspiration is a beautiful thing - it works wonders when you want to be inspired. When this is driven by a larger common goal of harmony, then the factors stopping us are rather negligible. 

Manpower without unity is not a strength, unless it is harmonised and united properly - then it becomes spiritual power

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Religion is a matter between man and his maker - Vallabhai Patel Quotes

Religion is a very personal matter. Like with most things, the answer to the key questions are at the source In this situation, I would like to think about where and how this concept of religion came by. In a colloquial sense, religion is a beautiful unifier. It brings people together and binds them with a common faith. 

This also reminds me of a beautiful quote from Ambedkar about religion

“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.” - Ambedkar Quotes

At the same time, when Sardar Vallabhai Patel calls this as a matter between man and his maker - we can admire the beauty in it. All religion ever wanted was to try and elevate us to the better people we can be - live up to an ideal and polish the nicer aspect of us. At the heart of religion was the matter of beauty. It never was a divider, nor should it ever be. 

Religion is a matter between man and his maker

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel on religion

Every human being is worthy of respect, as much as it should have respect above should not afraid of him falling down

Respect is a beautiful emotion/behaviour to have. I have often heard people say that some of them are not worthy of respect. I have often questioned where this judgement comes from. 

• Does it come from the knowledge that we know better? 
• From the knowledge that they don't meet our standards?
• Or is it pure conceit? 

I have been in a place where I have made these statements. It is only when I introspect I get this question  - what was the source of this? And how justified am I in making this statement? 

While that touches one of the points, the other is purely about falling down. Often we wonder what others might think if we take a few actions - what if it makes them respect us less? 

The counter-question I have at that situation is - What would you think if you don't do this particular thing? How does it make you feel? There is often a lot of difference in doing things for ourselves rather than the other way round. I suppose the final truth is in the way how we treat ourselves. 

Every human being is worthy of respect, as much as it should have respect above should not afraid of him falling down

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Complain is the work of cowards! Braves took over the task of preparing the way

Now, this is a fine quote by Sardar Vallabhai Patel. We have all seen the complainers, we have all seen the ones who put their heads down in work. In fact, we have all been to both places. 

Out of experience, I can vouch that these complaints have gotten me less further than looking at the next step in life. Whenever I have focussed on what to do next, the outcome is largely more superior to the worry about complaints. I suppose they make us wallow in negative circles and there hardly is a positive outcome from those. 

Complain is the work of cowards! Braves took over the task of preparing the way

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

The negligence of a few could easily send a ship to the bottom, but if it has the wholehearted co-operation of all on board it can be safely brought to port

This is perhaps my favourite at this point in time. It reminds me of Martin Luther King's quote "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people" (Brainy Quote, 2018). I am often labelled as a silent fellow and I have been quite proud of it. 

I am at a place however where I question the validity of this silence. My goal for this silence has been to avoid conflicts and combats. Somehow I have taught myself that combat is a bad thing that doesn't help you move forward. Perhaps it's been a hard lesson, but a good one nonetheless. 

You will need to stand up for your values at every single opportunity you get. The moment you let it go in the name of tolerance - tolerance stops being a virtue. It becomes inaction and it becomes a flaw. A flaw that should be avoided at the earliest opportunity. 

The negligence of a few could easily send a ship to the bottom, but if it has the wholehearted co-operation of all on board it can be safely brought to port

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Faith is of no avail in absence of strength, both are essential to accomplish any great work

Faith and strength go hand in hand. We all have beliefs, but fear hardly has been known to be a good source for action. Of course, it drives us but doesn't give us the greatest strength to push things forward. I am sure this point is up for debate and a good one too. 

But I move ahead in the interest of the point being made. Faith is good, faith is strong. It is almost like knowledge which is a source of power. But knowledge alone doesn't suffice. It is the action that makes knowledge powerful, it is the action that gives knowledge a true outcome and a vent. Without this, faith alone or belief alone is a lonely soldier without much hope of victory 

Faith is of no avail in absence of strength, both are essential to accomplish any great work

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

By common endeavour we can raise the country to a new greatness, while a lack of unity will expose us to fresh calamities

Inspiration is very funny. It talks about extraordinary things that will change the course of life forever. O the other hand, it is the simple things we do or don't do every single day which makes a remarkable difference in life. It can bring us closer, it can drive us apart. it can fill us up with energy or rob us of the good nature we have within. But the strength is in working together to make a difference. 

It is not the wonderful actions that happen once in a while that make a difference, it is those which happen every single day which build into an extraordinary one. 

By common endeavour we can raise the country to a new greatness, while a lack of unity will expose us to fresh calamities

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

A war based on satyagraha is always of two kinds. One is the war we wage against injustice and the other we fight against our own weaknesses

The beauty of Sardar Vallabhai Patel quotes is in the mention of Satyagraha for internal weakness. For ages, this phrase has been used for external reasons and rightly so. However, if we tune it inside and look at it from an external point of view, the war or revolution when internalised has a beauty to it. And this quote by Sardar Vallabhai Patel, is about the weakness that is within. It is unfair to talk about Satyagraha and not mention Mahatma Gandhi. A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi quotes can be found here.

When you are looking at a larger goal in life and the bigger picture, the moment you look at yourself from an external point of view things begin to have a whole new meaning altogether. 

A war based on satyagraha is always of two kinds. One is the war we wage against injustice and the other we fight against our own weaknesses

- Sardar Vallabhai Patel

Summary: Sardar Vallabhai Patel Quotes

I admit that these quotes are more than 50 years old and offer a different context and perspective. If we are able to tune them into our current day - both the internal and external world can offer richness. You can find the common theme of unity in these vallabhai patel quotes. It is driven by a message of working together to create a life together for a fraternity. In the same way, it is also about looking at life in a larger communal view rather than a self-centred approach of what just matters to a confined representation of our environment.

I'm sure these quotes will mean different things, but I'd love to know what they mean to you and your favourite. Please do leave a comment if you think I've missed anything or something you liked about these quotes which you can resonate with. A feedback will go a long way in influencing the future articles.