Amish Tripathi Quotations

I loved history in my school days, and I have always been a voracious reader. But in India, you end up doing MBA, engineering or medicine.

No disrespect to any other god, but Shiva's an outsider god. He breaks the rules. He's a brilliant musician, a brilliant dancer; he treats his wife as an equal, and she opposes him many times, but he obsessively loves her.

If you have to write a fictional adventure to convey a philosophy of evil, the best person is the destroyer of evil himself, Lord Shiva.

I turned atheist in the '90s when India went through troubled times - communal riots, bomb blasts... Mumbai, where I live, was badly affected. I blamed religion; also, extremists on both sides - right and left.

A bad book and good marketing won't work, the same way a good book and bad marketing will also not work. There is no choice in the matter that if you need to write a good book, you also need to have good marketing for it.

I think it's a fallacy to say that a good book sells itself. It doesn't happen. I'm a voracious reader and I can give you a long list of books which should have been best sellers but they aren't. How can you buy a book if you haven't heard of it?

I'm one of those lucky guys making a living out of something I really enjoy doing. That's a blessing. But you never know. What if my subsequent book series flops? I don't come from a wealthy background, so I'd be left with no choice. I'd have to go back into banking!

He has turned my life around by 180 degrees, I still don't understand why Shiva has blessed me so much. I believe he'll bless the worst of us first because we need it the most.

I see a sense of unity in the universe. Spirituality is not limited to only one religion. One can experience it across different religions. I am fascinated by philosophy of Advaita and philosophy of unity. We have to get over the illusion that God is different from us.

Myths are part of our DNA. We're a civilisation with a continuous culture. The effort to modernize it keeps it alive. Readers connect with it.

As a writer, it's important to stay true to your story without giving a hoot about publishers, critics and readers. You should do your karma as an author the way you want to, and rest is up to God.

Most educated Indians are bilingual. Amongst the urban elite though, there is a disdain for regional languages. That's unfortunate.

The good news is that a vast majority of Indians from different religions see no contradiction between religiosity and liberalism, keep India stable. We religious liberals don't talk loudly enough.

Writing about our gods in English is unnatural, but I believe language is just a carrier - a means to an end.

Creating music is a wonderful way to celebrate our devotion for Lord Shiva.

I believe if you want to convey a complex philosophy, it's advisable to keep it simple: day-to-day lingo.

In the early '90s, I was disillusioned after the blasts and riots in Mumbai. I was in college and started thinking that religion was the root cause of all these evils. While my father told me not to blame religion because of a few bad people, I wasn't convinced. The faith was restored after I started writing my first book.

My father's family hails from Banaras. My grandfather taught mathematics at Banaras Hindu University. Banaras is also dedicated to Lord Shiva, home to one of the great jyotirlings, the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Fortunately, I grew up in a traditional family where questioning was encouraged, particularly by my pandit grandfather. We are all voracious readers, seeking knowledge. I learn a lot from discussions with my wife, siblings and parents.

A writer can't afford to just focus on writing and leave marketing aside in today's competitive market.

I am a voracious reader, so it's difficult for me to give a list of my favourite authors of all time.

I don't think I'm any competition to the already-existing canon of writers in Kannada. How can I ever even think of comparing myself?

I was a very happy banker, but I feel happier as an author.

In any industry, the people with the freshest ideas usually come from outside.

In the ancient times, bards went around singing the epics, which were storehouses of philosophy.

There is a wealth of readership for regional language literature in India that is not given importance. We must give respect to our own languages.

In the India I was growing up in, history wasn't really a wise career option. People would joke and say, 'History's okay, but what's your actual job?' I didn't come from a privileged background and couldn't afford to be irresponsible, so I did the pragmatic thing and did a MBA.

While in some countries there's a feeling that literature must stay away from religion, this is not so in India - in the Indian way, literature is just another means to find a more spiritual life, to find our way to God.

I'm certainly not surprised by the passion of the youth for our myths. Mythology is almost a part of an Indian's DNA.

If your purpose is to make money, you shouldn't get into writing.

India is a musical country, so it would appear obvious to use our collective passion for music to promote a book.

I am a disciplined person. When I am writing, I write for 7-8 hours.

I never thought my ideas would actually get published.

In India, it is not a contradiction for religion and liberalism to co-exist.

India has a long tradition of reinterpreting religious myths.

Songs of different moods are like keys, which help me enter the world of my book's characters.

When I'm writing, I am lost in my book. Except family and close friends, I don't care about what critics, publishers or readers might think.

When the book is over, I think of innovative marketing ways to reach to a larger audience. I think wine and cheese book launch parties are a waste.

Anuj Bahari has always been a really good literary agent for me. What a good agent does is that he manages many of your business aspects so you can keep your time free for writing.

At the outset, I think that one should be natural, not just when it comes to writing but in every area of life. If you try to be something that you are not just to impress others, then it's a rather sad life.

Even though many Indians can read or speak English, for most, it is not their first language. At the office, we speak in English, but we consume our culture in our own language.

I consider myself lucky that Sonu Nigam, Bikram Ghosh and Taufiq Quereshi came forward to create an original soundtrack to promote my book, something that hasn't been tried here before!

I never really wanted to be a writer. I know it sounds strange, but I honestly believe that I didn't pick the story; the story has picked me. I've written absolutely no fiction before 'The Immortals of Meluha.' Not even a short story in school - absolutely nothing.

I see everything like a movie. I laugh and cry, I smell, touch, see and describe my own experience. I don't care if this sounds strange; I am not the creator - I am only the channel. The story is given to me.

Mythology and history are my passion. I grew up in a religious family and learnt about our scriptures and philosophies. It's the language I'm comfortable with.

Since I don't come from a privileged background, I couldn't afford to be irresponsible with career decisions. I wrote two books alongside my job and resigned only when I realised I can make a living.

The youth in India tend to be rebellious, as with everywhere else, and that makes Shiva exciting. He has the rebellious qualities that the youths like.

When I was young, I never thought I was going to be a writer! I was academically orientated and active at sports, but I didn't have one creative bone in my body.

When I was young, I was an academically oriented guy like most academically oriented guys. I graduated in science, did an MBA. My dreams as a young boy were I wanted to be an industrialist, or I wanted to be a scientist.

When I write, I tend to be quite cut off from the world. At that point of time, I'm not thinking about editors, publishers or readers. I write the story the way it comes to me.

With due apologies to Shakespeare, some people are born writers, some people achieve it after a lot of hard work, some people have a writing career thrust upon them. I am in that last group.

Weak people never admit that they are responsible for their own state. They always blame either circumstances or others.

There are no bystanders in a dharmayudh - it is a holy war.

No. The purpose is not the destination but the journey itself. Only those who understand this simple truth can experience true happiness.

Nature is not concerned about fairness, it only interested in efficiency.

What is forgotten, however, is that many times the Good we create leads to Evil that will destroy us.

I believe if you want to convey a complex philosophy, its advisable to keep it simple: day-to-day lingo.

Truth is one, though the sages know it as many . God is one, though different religions approach Him differently Call Him Shiva, Vishnu, Allah, Jesus or any other form of God that you believe in . Our paths may be different. Our destination is the same.

Don't turn blue all over now.

Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the trials and tribulations, Weak people, many a times, do not even realize how low they have sunk.

A man becomes Mahadev only when he fights for good.

It is your karma to fight evil. It doesn't matter if the people that evil is being committed against don't fight back. It doesn't matter if the entire world chooses to look the other way. Always remember this. You don't live with the consequences of other people's karma. You live with the consequences of your own

Lord Manu had said it's not people who are evil. True evil exists beyond them. It attracts people. It causes confusion amongst its enemies. But Evil in itself is too big to be confined to to just a few.

Fate controls only the weak, Your Highness. The strong mould the providence the want

Often,our immediate reaction to a sudden crisis help us save ourselves. Our response to gradual crises that creep up upon us, on the other hand,may be so adaptive as to ultimately lead to self-destruction.

I don't believe anything till I have seen the proof. For anything without proof, I think we should believe the theory that gives us peace. It doesn't matter whether the theory is true or not.

The distance between Evil and Good is a vast expanse in which many can exist without being either.

The key question isn't 'What is Evil?' The key question is 'When does the Good become Evil?

Rather than the destination it is the journey that lends meaning to our lives, great Neelkanth. Being faithful to our path will lead to consequences, both good as well as bad. For that is the way of the universe.

his burden didn't feel any lighter. but he felt strong enough to carry it

Truth doesn't have to be liked. It only has to be spoken. Speak it out. The truth may hurt you, but it will set you free.

Civilization is very fragile, all it takes is a few decades of chaos for us to forget humanity and turn into animals. Our base natures can take over very fast. We can forget that we are sentient beings, with laws and codes and ethics.

A man becomes a Mahadev, only when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born from his mother's womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil. Har Har Mahadev - All of us are Mahadev.

I don't believe in symbolic gods.I believe that god exists all around us.In the flow of the river,in the rustle of the trees,in the whisper of the winds. He speaks to us all the time.all we need to do is listen.

I turned atheist in the 90s when India went through troubled times - communal riots, bomb blasts... Mumbai, where I live, was badly affected. I blamed religion; also, extremists on both sides - right and left.

Standing by and doing nothing while a sin is committed is as bad as committing the sin itself

Nothing is more important than life. Nothing. You realise the simplicity of that point only when you confront death everyday.

Ati sarvatra varjayet: Excess of anything is bad. Some of us are attracted to Good. But the universe tries to maintain balance. So what is good for some may end up being bad for others... Agriculture is good for us humans as it gives us an assured supply of food, but it is bad for the animals that lose their forest and grazing land.

There is your truth and there is my truth. As for the universal truth, it does not exist.

Whether a man is a legend or not is decided by history, not fortune tellers.

A person's ethics and character are not tested in good times. It is only in bad times that a person shows how steadfast he is to his dharma.

It's our greed to extract more and more from good that turns it into evil.

There are many realities. There are many versions of what may appear obvious. Whatever appears as the unshakeable truth, its exact opposite may also be true in another context. After all, one's reality is but perception, viewed through various prisms of context.

As a writer, its important to stay true to your story without giving a hoot about publishers, critics and readers. You should do your karma as an author the way you want to, and rest is up to God.

People do what their society rewards them to do. If the society rewards trust, people will be trusting

The most powerful force in a woman's life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is.

The oppposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual oppposite of love is apathy. When you don't care a damn as to what happens to the other person.

Creation and destruction are the two ends of the same moment. And everything between the creation and the next destruction is the journey of life.

The opposite of love is not hate, its apathy, when u simply don't bother about that person!