QuoteProject
Nations are born in the hearts of poets, they prosper and die in the hands of politicians.
Muhammad Iqbal
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The essence of a nation is inspired by creative visionaries, but its fate ultimately lies in the hands of its leaders.

This quote highlights the vital role that poets and creative thinkers play in the formation of a nation's identity and spirit, suggesting that the ideals and dreams they embody are crucial for its birth. However, it also emphasizes that politicians, who wield power and make practical decisions, have the responsibility and capability to sustain or destroy that vision, reflecting the complex interplay between inspiration and governance in shaping a nation's destiny.

Themes

NationPoetsPoliticiansIdentityLeadership

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of arts in society.

More from Muhammad Iqbal

The revealed and mystic literature of mankind bears ample testimony to the fact that religious experience has been too enduring and dominant in the history of mankind to be rejected as mere illusion. There seems to be no reason, then, to accept the normal level of human experience as fact and reject its other levels as mystical and emotional.
Muhammad IqbalRead
I have seen the movement of the sinews of the sky, And the blood coursing in the veins of the moon.
Muhammad IqbalRead
let this be our beautiful departure from stagnation; let our minds come alive; enter another dimension; go beyond the stars eagerly struggling to find that... which our naked eyes did not know existed; rise like a falcon born to soar and not be alone but be present amongst others.
Muhammad IqbalRead
The soul is neither inside nor outside the body; neither proximate to nor separate from it.
Muhammad IqbalRead
The wing of the Falcon brings to the king, the wing if the crow brings him to the cemetery.
Muhammad IqbalRead
The truth is that the religious and the scientific processes, though involving different methods, are identical in their final aim. Both aim at reaching the most real.
Muhammad IqbalRead

Similar quotes

International order is not an evolution; it is an imposition. It is the domination of one vision over others- in this case, the domination of liberal free market principles of economics, democratic principles of politics, and a peaceful international system over other visions that other nations and peoples may have. It will last only as long as those who favor it retain the capacity to defend it.
Robert KaganRead
Whenever you put a man on the Supreme Court he ceases to be your friend.
Harry S. TrumanRead
There exists no politician in India daring enough to attempt to explain to the masses that cows can be eaten.
Indira GandhiRead
Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.
Dalton TrumboRead
Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and the world. Politics is about doing well for the people.
Paul WellstoneRead
The world will not accept dictatorship or domination.
Mikhail GorbachevRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.