I don't go by my caste, creed or religion. My works speak for me.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that one's actions and contributions define their identity more than labels such as caste, creed, or religion.
In this quote, Shashi Tharoor asserts that societal labels such as caste, creed, or religion should not dictate a person's worth or identity. Instead, he believes that the value of an individual lies in their actions and achievements, and it is through their works that they should be recognized and judged. This reflects a universal philosophy that transcends superficial categorizations, advocating for a more merit-based recognition of individuals.
In practice
In a discussion on the importance of merit over background, this quote can be used to emphasize the value of one's actions.
Foreigners have a complex set of associations in their minds when they think of America - from Iraq to 9/11, certainly, but also from Coke to jeans. It is entirely possible for people around the world to love American products, American books, American movies, American music, and dislike the policies of the government of America.
The roots of India's soft power run deep. India's is a civilization that, over millennia, has offered refuge and, more importantly, religious and cultural freedom, to Jews, Parsis, several varieties of Christians, and Muslims.
Much of the conventional analysis of India's stature in the world relies on the all-too-familiar economic assumptions. But we are famously a land of paradoxes, and one of those paradoxes is that so many speak about India as a great power of the 21st century when we are not yet able to feed, educate and employ all our people.
I believe in an India of pluralism and diversity, not of religious bigotry and caste politics. I believe in an India that is secure in itself and confident of its place in the world, an India that is a proud example of tolerance, freedom and hope for the downtrodden.
I returned to India because I believe in an India of honesty and hard work, not of corruption and crookedness. I believe in an India of openness and straightforwardness, not of hypocrisy and double-dealing. I believe in an India where opportunities are available to all, and not just to a chosen few.
The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power: the Iraq invasion, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, torture, rendition, Blackwater's killings of Iraqi civilians.
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.
The scales of reckoning with mortality are never evenly weighted, alas, and thus it is on the shoulders of the living that the burden of justice must continue to rest.
The sacred is in the ordinary...it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's own backyard...travel may be a flight from confronting the scared--this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous.
Iron necessity is a thing which in the course of history men come to see as neither iron nor necessary.
A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy - "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."
Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.