Siddharth Katragadda

Siddharth Katragadda (born September 1972) is an Indian American writer, filmmaker, playwright, poet, artist and engineer. He's also an avid quotist with numerous published quotes, including the famous "The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals.

Siddharth Katragadda in 2002

Quotes

Life: A collection of Inspirational Quotes (2020)

• The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals
  • page 75

• Marriage is like a table with four legs - the couple, the children, the parents and the in-laws. Break any of these and the marriage crashes to the floor
  • page 4

• The case for meat-eaters - if eating meat is a sin, then why are some plants carnivorous?
  • page 4

• A writer creates life; a poet creates magic from life; a philosopher tries to understand life.
  • page 4

• When facing a big challenge, break it down to smaller ones first.
  • page 5

• No one person is inherently more intelligent than another; we all simply excel in different areas of intelligence.
  • page 7

• Religion is god's population-control tool.
  • page 9

• The greatness of a culture can be found in it's thinkers
  • page 11

• There can't be highs on a roller coaster without the lows. Life works the same way.
  • page 9

• Learn to find happiness even in sadness. If you seek it only in joy, you may lose it one day and be left empty-handed.
  • page 23

• You may capture a man's attention with your looks for a moment, but it's your character that holds it for a lifetime.
  • page 34

• Anything gained through ignorance is destined to be lost in the same way.
  • page 42

• My approach to life is simple: never do anything I wouldn’t want to include in my autobiography.
  • page 43

• The clearest water is born from the journey through the muddiest mountains.
  • page 45

• Life is like the inside of a box that we can never open.
  • page 47

• Marriage is God's way of making sure there are only a few great men.
  • page 55

• Never engage with people on a negative path, as they may lead you toward ruin. Instead, guide them toward positivity, even if it risks your friendship.
  • page 55

• Greatness is the reward for genius...only a few can be great, the rest are plain good.
  • page 66

• The greatness of a culture can be found in it's art
  • page 11

• Even the humblest men have a strange reason behind greed. Every man thinks money solves problems - and every man thinks not just of himself, but his next three generations - there is a probability he will live to see those generations - and he wants to care for them in times of strife.
  • page 73

• Religion can often be the fastest route to ignorance.
  • page 75

• Power in the hands of the ignorant can be a perilous thing, as demonstrated by Hitler.
  • page 76

• Marriage is a daily lesson in recognizing our flaws
  • page 77

• A little arrogance in the hands of the capable is well earned - and in most case, deserved.
  • page 79

• When couples start a family, they sacrifice personal love for the greater responsibility of raising their children into good human beings. Nothing should distract them from that goal until their kids are independent.
  • page 112

• Transportation has complicated our lives; without it, we would have everything we need within walking distance.
  • page 3

• Mastering an art is like climbing a passion mountain; when you reach the top, the passion fades. So, keep learning.
  • page 8

• Couples should keep their love pure before it poisons the purest love of all - that between them and their children
  • page 15

• Progress of mankind is the decadence of humanity.
  • page 15

• Couples often forget that after marriage and children, it’s no longer just a 'relationship' — it’s a family, a responsibility for life.
  • page 16

• Being a good human is simple: be a good son, husband, parent, and citizen.
  • page 33

• Life is a series of small sorrows that ultimately lead to great joy. Learn to wait for it.
  • page 35

• God exists...but only in our minds
  • page 35

• The God of religion is a creation of mankind; the true God is beyond human comprehension.
  • page 36

• Arranged Marriages don't always have to be risky. Get to know your future in-laws. She's bound to be like one of them.
  • page 42

• The purest love is between parents and children. Other loves may be more thrilling, but none are as deep or enduring.
  • page 44

• Writing can only be as good as its subject matter.
  • page 44

• The case for vegetarians - plants cure illnesses (heard of Ayurveda). Animal diets cause most illnesses (heard of the China Study.
  • page 88

• Remember: the mother gives fuel for the journey, but the father is the road that transports you
  • page 89

• Never base your value on your body alone, or you risk being devalued.
  • page 81

• Don’t blend in like a chameleon; shape your surroundings to reflect who you are.
  • page 82

• It’s more important to avoid making enemies than to focus on making friends.
  • page 85

• Someone who lives to please others is never truly honest with themselves.
  • page 62

• A boy asks his father to make his kite indestructible. The father replies, "Son, if you do that, it will be strong, but it will never fly. Life is all about making compromises
  • page 62

• What you desire is always in the past or the future, existing only in your dreams
  • page 62

• The coward often takes out his anger on his family because they are the only ones who will not fight back
  • page 64

• Communicating with your kids is a million times more important than disciplining.
  • page 24

• First, learn enough to conquer your dreams, then keep learning.
  • page 24

• Learning is a seed that blossoms into a plant and then a tree, but it still needs the sunlight of imagination to thrive
  • page 24

• War can set us back centuries, but sometimes it is necessary to correct the course of mankind.
  • page 24

• Health is what you eat... and think
  • page 24

• DON'T BE afraid to be alone. IT IS THEN you are with the creator
  • page 24

• Being in a group is fun, but embrace solitude if you want to achieve something.
  • page 24

• I see no dishonor in a woman selling her body to support her children; the dishonor lies with a society that has placed her in that position.
  • page 24

• The search for truth is often costly, for truth comes at a price
  • page 24

• Claiming there is no creator is like saying a car assembled itself from iron ore.
  • page 36

• Racism is the fastest way to demonstrate your inferiority, not your superiority.
  • page 36

• Living in the past is merely an excuse to avoid forgiving.
  • page 36

• Never dam the loves in your life, or they will overflow and destroy you
  • page 36

• Bitterness is dwelling in the past, while positivity is embracing the future.
  • page 36

• Every problem has two sides. It’s easy to blame both sides on others, but the hardest part is taking ownership of your side and fixing it.
  • page 36

• As long as there is hurt, it's a sign there is love. Once you stop hurting, you love has died
  • page 36

• In the end, a religion can be judged by these simple measures: how it treats its women, how it cares for the helpless, and how it respects other religions.
  • page 36

• A stranger is often more interesting than the familiar because your brain craves new experiences. But remember, it’s the familiar who truly cares about you
  • page 36

• Wicked people often manipulate you into feeling guilty for their wrongdoings. When you encounter one, it's best to run
  • page 36

• Everyone is born to do something in this world. WE cannot ALL be MICHAEL JORDON or a PICCASsO - BUT WE ALL HAVE A gift. Learn to identify that gift and pursue it with all your heart
  • page 36

• Life is a crash course for your next one
  • page 36

• Learn to be your own best friend, as there will be times when you have no one else.
  • page 36

• Don’t be afraid of being alone. We were born alone and will die alone
  • page 36

• Live not for food, but for food for thought
  • page 48

• Is love merely a cog in the wheel of the illusion of our species' procreation?
  • page 48

• Is love just an illusion in the procreation of our species, then women are the magicians that cast it
  • page 48

• Youth is a chance to be the stupid version of yourself that you can laugh at when you're older and wiser
  • page 48

• It’s when you’re losing that your true nature reveals itself
  • page 48

• It’s when you’re losing that your true nature reveals itself. Be your best self even in loss
  • page 48

• Parents with a bad attitude can’t expect children with a good one. Fix yourself first.
  • page 48

• Beauty is the biggest enemy of attitude
  • page 48

• A country or culture can be best judged by how it treats its minorities
  • page 48

• Great are those that are remembered for all the right reasons when they’re gone
  • page 48

• Death is the moment when you stop believing in lies and learn the greatest truth
  • page 48

• Death is the moment we receive a grade for the life we lived
  • page 48

• YOUR LIFE IS GRADED...but WE don’t get extra credits for praying— only FOR good deeds
  • page 48

• Unless you are one with all humans, you are not human
  • page 48

• If the mother is the boat's canopy, offering shelter to her children, the father is the sail and rudder, guiding them forward
  • page 48

• Switching from one religion to another is like repeating the same error in a different form. As humanity grows wiser, the only meaningful conversion is beyond religion itself.
  • page 48

• Blaming others is the quickest route to stall your own growth.
  • page 48

• The Happiness Index of a culture can be judged by its festivals
  • page 25

• Festivals are where you see the heart of a culture beating
  • page 25

Festivals are the gathering of people, united as one big, beating heart.

• • page 25

• Festivals are like rain after a long hot summer. They bring people together like dancing in the rain.
  • page 25

• Festivals celebrate the human race, in how we’ve conquered the Earth, the Skies and the Waters, and most importantly, our own collective vices.
  • page 25

• Every day should be a festival.
  • page 25

• Let festivals be a time when we all come together as one, equal in our shared humanity.
  • page 25

• Vanity is the new modern day slavery
  • page 30

• if Men are enslaved by the lure of money, women are by vanity
  • page 30

• racism is arrogance at the highest level
  • page 30

• Racism is like blind men sitting in a dark room, convinced there’s nothing beyond its walls.
  • page 30

• Racism is a sweeping stroke of the brush of arrogance to demean an entire race, merely to assert one’s own superiority.

• Racism stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of human history.
  • page 30

• Weddings are festivals between festivals
  • page 12

• Weddings are occasions where couples make vows and promises they cannot keep
  • page 12

• Weddings are what keeps customs alive
  • page 12

• Weddings are days when the unwed dream of theirs... and the wedded regret theirs.
  • page 12

• If culture were a living body, festivals are its beating heart.
  • page 12

• Happiness lies in family, pursuing your passions, and having enough money to enjoy both.
  • page 18

• The true happiness of a country is reflected in the eyes of its children.
  • page 18

• Change others only after you have transformed yourself.
  • page 18

• Changing others is simple; changing yourself is the real challenge.
  • page 18

• Change is the greatest mental barrier, but once you overcome it, new opportunities unfold.
  • page 18

• Change is impossible in a religion that thinks it’s seen the last prophet. Prophets come and go, and we have to change with them
  • page 18

• I create art because a single image can convey a thousand words.
  • page 19

• I do art because I can’t convey certain ideas through other means
  • page 19

• I do art because it's my shot at eternity
  • page 19

• Tolerance is the ability to accept another's views, even when you believe they are incorrect.
  • page 19

• Tolerance involves pointing out what you believe to be another's mistake while allowing them to find their own path, rather than imposing yours on them
  • page 19

• If tolerance were bees then its hive is in India
  • page 19