Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Thoughts and Quotes

Fondly called Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was one of the chief architects who created the Indian constitution. Ambedkar was a multifaceted personality who was a Buddhist activist, historian, political leader, scholar, economist, writer, orator, anthropologist, philosopher, jurist and editor.

Babasaheb was born on 14 April 1891 and his birth anniversary is celebrated on this date year on year.

Dr Ambedkar was majorly known for fighting social evils, and representing the dalits and other backward communities for their rights. In Pandit Jawaharlal’s cabinet, Dr Ambedkar was appointed as the first Law Minister of India. In 1990, he was awarded the highest civilian honor of the country “Bharat Ratna’, posthumously.

Here is a collection of Dr Ambedkar quotes that contain his wisdom, philosophy and study of life and humans.

Dr Ambedkar on religion

“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity”

“The history of India is nothing but a history of a mortal conflict between Buddhism and Brahminism”.

“The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did not proclaim them to be infallible.

The religion of Buddha has the capacity to change according to times, a quality which no other religion can claim to have...

If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason. There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion.”

Dr Ambedkar on life and man

“Life should be great rather than long”.

“Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence”.

“If you believe in living a respectable life, you believe in self-help which is the best help”.

“A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society.”

“Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die.”

“Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.”

“Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive, is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is the proof of one's existence.”

“Slavery does not merely mean a legalised form of subjection.

It means a state of society in which some men are forced to accept from others the purposes which control their conduct.”

Dr Ambedkar on equality and social justice

“Be Educated, Be Organised and Be Agitated”

“So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you.”

“We must stand on our own feet and fight as best as we can for our rights. So carry on your agitation and organize your forces. Power and prestige will come to you through struggle”

“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”

“Every man who repeats the dogma of Mill that one country is not fit to rule another country must admit that one class is not fit to rule another class.”

“Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government.”

How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up.”

“A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society”

Dr Ambedkar on patriotism

“I do not want that our loyalty as Indians should be in the slightest way affected by any competitive loyalty whether that loyalty arises out of our religion, out of our culture or out of our language. I want all people to be Indians first, Indian last and nothing else but Indians.”

Dr. Ambedkar on Constitution

“Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realize that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic.”

“History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.”

“If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it.”

“Constitution is not a mere lawyers’ document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age.”