27 Quotes by Morarji Desai

You are quite correct in saying that I banned the export of monkeys on a humanitarian basis and not because the number was lessening. I believe in preventing cruelty to all living beings in any form.

Society at present suffers far more from waste of money than from want of it. There is dignity in every attempt to economise. It indicates self-denial and imparts strength of character. It produces a well-regulated mind.

I would, therefore, say that for no reason whatsoever, except in self-defence, should one think of killing any animal.

Self-help must precede help from others. Even for making certain of help from heaven, one has to help oneself.

All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.

One can’t be kind to one person and cruel to another.

From this it follows that con-sideration for other persons or for other living beings is very vital for goodness and want of consideration for other people makes human beings selfish, regardless for other people’s good.

I do not want to go into its physical reasons: the construction of the human body is different from that of carnivorous animals. But man’s intelligence is such that it can be utilised to defend any-thing he does, whether right or wrong.

We should propagate the values of vegetarianism.