Tata's Quotes & Sayings

I have two or three cars that I like, but today, Ferrari would be the best car I have driven in terms of being an impressive car. — Ratan Tata

After I retired, it seemed to me that there was a whole new world out there, which was a digital world driven by a marketplace, basically, which had a huge potential driven by handheld devices, which would one day become the virtual retail store of India. — Ratan Tata

There has to be a drive to make the U.K. competitive in the motorcar industry or in the engineering industry. To do that, you have to give attention to the manufacturing sector. — Ratan Tata

If you want excellence, you must aim at perfection. It has its drawbacks but being finicky is essential. — J.R.D. Tata

The day I am not able to fly will be a sad day for me. — Ratan Tata

If I have any merit, it is getting along with individuals, according to their ways and characteristics. At times it involves suppressing yourself. It is painful, but necessary. To be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection, — J.R.D. Tata

IT and the entire communications business clearly have the greatest potential for growth. But if you're talking about sheer size, the steel and auto industries will remain at the top. — Ratan Tata

people who have made India awesome aren't all politicians. Most of the people that did this are not from the government. Whether it is entrepreneurs like J.R.D. Tata and N.R. Narayana Murthy, sportspersons like Sachin Tendulkar or musicians like A.R. Rahman, people from all walks of life have helped improve our nation. Not just celebrities, but E. Sreedharan, responsible for the Delhi Metro, and Dr Verghese Kurien, who created the Amul revolution, were all ordinary people doing their work extraordinarily well. Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, two of the most influential figures in India's history, never held political office. Aim to be one of those people who made India awesome. — Chetan Bhagat

The most expensive part of any manufacturing unit is the paint shop. — Ratan Tata

Some entrepreneurs talk of a high burn rate, high advertising rate, and so on, with no outcome, so it doesn't impress me. But an entrepreneur who has that kind of a feeling of responsibility towards his investors is somebody who will have all my support. — Ratan Tata

If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together — Ratan Tata

the world's cheapest small car, Tata's Nano, worth only $1500. This toy-like ill-fated vehicle, whose destiny it was to look as if it had been prematurely brought into the world, more foetus than car, and whose birth was near abortive and then indefinitely delayed, this car, when it finally took to the road, turned out to have an engine that at times exploded mysteriously. Until 2009, it was seen to be Bengal's quirky but irreplaceable mascot for development. — Amit Chaudhuri

The strong live and the weak die. There is some bloodshed, and out of it emerges a much leaner industry, which tends to survive. — Ratan Tata

Tata Motors decided to establish a car — Ashwin Sanghi

Our way was to share a fire until it burned down, ayi? To speak to each other until every person was satisfied. Younger men listened to older men. Now the Beelezi tell us the vote of a young, careless man counts the same as the vote of an elder.' In the hazy heat Tata Ndu paused to take off his hat, turn it carefully in his hands, then replace it above the high dome of his forehead. No one breathed. 'White men tell us: Vote, bantu! They tell us: You do not all have to agree, ce n'est pas necessaire! If two men vote yes and one says no, the matter is finished. A bu, even a child can see how that will end. It takes three stones in the fire to hold up the pot. Take one away, leave the other two, and what? The pot will spill into the fire. — Barbara Kingsolver

New startups embody the creativity, the innovation of young people, and for me, it was and is a very worthwhile experience to interact with them. — Ratan Tata

I've never believed protectionism of that kind will lead us anywhere. I think you can have certain specific rules for engaging with India.. for example, not allowing mineral resources to be taken out of the country.. but there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that when you open an economy you should do it in totality. Foreign investment adds a sense of competition; we should see this as a wake-up call to modernise and upgrade. Companies that do not will undoubtedly die. — Ratan Tata

I quite frankly enjoy the touch and feel of a store, so I am a big bookshop person. Or, I go to an electronics store; Best Buy and Croma are places I could spend a lot of time in. — Ratan Tata

Some foreign investors accuse us of being unfair to shareholders by using our resources for community development. Yes, this is money that could have made for dividend payouts, but it also is money that's uplifting and improving the quality of life of people in the rural areas where we operate and work. We owe them that. — Ratan Tata

India needs to come out of its socialist pattern of doing things on a rationing basis. — Ratan Tata

I would say that one of the things I wish I could do differently would be to be more outgoing. — Ratan Tata

I do not know how history will judge me, but let me say that I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to transform the Tatas from a patriarchal concern to an institutional enterprise. It would, therefore, be a mark of failure on my part if it were perceived that Ratan Tata epitomises the Group's success. What I have done is establish growth mechanisms, play down individuals and play up the team that has made the companies what they are. I, for one, am not the kind who loves dwelling on the 'I'. If history remembers me at all, I hope it will be for this transformation. — Ratan Tata

Under this tremendous dawn of power and freedom, under a sky ablaze with promise, in the very presence of science standing like some bountiful goddess over all the squat darknesses of human life, holding patiently in her strong arms, until men chose to take them, security, plenty, the solution of riddles, the key of the bravest adventures, in her very presence, and with the earnest of her gifts in court, the world was to witness such things as the squalid spectacle of the Dass-Tata patent litigation. There — H.G.Wells

Quality is first engineered; only then it is inspected — J.R.D. Tata

Jardine is the largest dealer of Mercedes in the world. They also sell cars for two or three Japanese makers. — Ratan Tata

I may have hurt some people along the way, but I would like to be seen as somebody who has done his best to do the right thing for any situation and not compromised. — Ratan Tata

Apart from values and ethics which I have tried to live by, the legacy I would like to leave behind is a very simple one - that I have always stood up for what I consider to be the right thing, and I have tried to be as fair and equitable as I could be. — Ratan Tata

A founder who is in for the short run, or has no passion for the sector he is in, doesn't give me a great deal of comfort. — Ratan Tata

If it stands the test of public scrutiny, do it ... if it doesn't stand the test of public scrutiny then don't do it. — Ratan Tata

There's a lot of interest in Nano outside India. — Ratan Tata

No institute of science and technology can guarantee discoveries or inventions, and we cannot plan or command a work of genius at will. But do we give sufficient thought to the nurture of the young investigator, to providing the right atmosphere and conditions of work and full opportunity for development? It is these things that foster invention and discovery. — J.R.D. Tata

I admire people who are very successful. But if that success has been achieved through too much ruthlessness, then I may admire that person, but I can't respect him. — Ratan Tata

We sang in church "Tata Nzolo"! Which means Father in Heaven or Father of Fish Bait depending on just how you sing it, and that pretty well summed up my quandry. — Barbara Kingsolver

I followed someone who had very large shoes. He had very large shoes. Mr. J. R. D. Tata. He was a legend in the Indian business community. He had been at the helm of the Tata organization for 50 years. You were almost starting to think he was going to be there forever. — Ratan Tata

If a founder has passion and innovation, he needs to be supported. I am more intuitive than a numbers person, and I recognise that not all investments are going to be positive. Some may fail, and some may have problems for other reasons. That is life. — Ratan Tata

Freedom without the strength to support it and, if need be, defend it, would be a cruel delusion. And the strength to defend freedom can itself only come from widespread industrialisation and the infusion of modern science and technology into the country's economic life. — Jamsetji Tata

If I were to look in the United States or in Europe, in some of the garages, you would have a Bentley or two Bentleys or a high-end Mercedes, and you may find a Smart also in that same garage because that person thinks it's a fun extra car to have. He may have four cars but also have a Smart because he thinks it is cute. — Ratan Tata

I think the Tata Group's greatest contribution to the growth of the Indian economy and Indian industry probably happened in the pre-independence era. The Group's investments in industries such as steel, textiles, power and hotels were certainly driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, but they were driven even more, I think, by a desire to make India self-sufficient and independent of its colonial masters then. — Ratan Tata

Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going, because a straight line even in an ECG means we are not alive — Ratan Tata

Uncommon thinkers reuse what common thinkers refuse — J.R.D. Tata

One hundred years from now, I expect the Tatas to be much bigger than it is now. More importantly, I hope the Group comes to be regarded as being the best in India.. best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver, and best in our value systems and ethics. Having said that, I hope that a hundred years from now we will spread our wings far beyond India. — Ratan Tata

Banana republics are run on cronyism. — Ratan Tata

I would say that I'm blessed with a very, very good executive team that operates, reasonably autonomously, each of the companies. — Ratan Tata

There is one kind of charity common enough among us ... It is that patchwork philanthropy which clothes the ragged, feeds the poor, and heals the sick. I am far from decrying the noble spirit which seeks to help a poor or suffering fellow being ... [However] what advances a nation or a community is not so much to prop up its weakest and most helpless members, but to lift up the best and the most gifted, so as to make them of the greatest service to the country. — Jamsetji Tata

I have always been very confident and very upbeat about the future potential of India. I think it is a great country with great potential. — Ratan Tata

What I would like to do is to leave behind a sustainable entity of a set of companies that operate in an exemplary manner in terms of ethics, values and continue what our ancestors left behind. — Ratan Tata

One of the weaknesses of Indian industry is that in many areas.. like consumer goods.. it is very fragmented. Individually, the companies might not be able to survive. What is needed is a consortium of like companies in one industry, presenting a strong front to the multinationals. The Swiss watch industry did this. — Ratan Tata

Always aim at perfection for only then will you achieve excellence — J.R.D. Tata

Flying, I continue to be involved with. I love flying, and I hope to keep doing it so long as I can pass my medicals and stay proficient. — Ratan Tata

The wealth gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction of the amount by which they enriched the nation. The whole of that wealth is held in trust for the people and used exclusively for their benefit. The cycle is thus complete; what came from the people has gone back to the people many times over. — J.R.D. Tata

People still believe what they read is necessarily the truth. — Ratan Tata

I'm pretty relaxed with my skincare. I really like two brands: Tata Harper and Ren, which is a natural skincare line. I use lotions, and I use Dove soap. — Amanda Hearst

Business need to go beyond the interest of their companies to the communities they serve. — Ratan Tata

I can tell you in all honesty that I am highly connected to my family, my wife, and my three children, though I don't get to spend dollops of hours with them. — Ratan Tata

Britain needs a real push. It needs nationalism. The sort of spirit that comes during a war. It needs people really to want to see the UK sitting again, maybe not as a colonial power, but as an economic power. — Ratan Tata

I do not want India to be an economic superpower. I want India to be a happy country. — J.R.D. Tata

Telco is totally committed to commercial vehicles, where it is bound to remain a major player. What may well happen in the future is we may split the company into two business units. — Ratan Tata

Power and wealth are not two of my main stakes. — Ratan Tata

The economic situation, the high cost of undertaking manufacturing, the supply chain - which is, by the way, dying out also as manufacturing undergoes hardship - make the U.K. not the first place you would look at to make a manufacturing investment. — Ratan Tata

I don't believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right. — Ratan Tata

I found my student of the year, and now Tata Nano is searching for India's student of the year — Karan Johar

I am interested in what I earn; I am interested in my growth. — Ratan Tata

The political system of the People's Republic of China can make things easy. Decisions are made quickly and results come quickly, too. In our democracy [in India], on the other hand, such things are extremely difficult. — Ratan Tata

Diamond thought I was blind; I knew he was sneaking down here to mess with Tata at night. — Myiesha

I will certainly not join politics. I would like to be remembered as a clean businessman who has not partaken in any twists and turns beneath the surface, and one who has been reasonably successful. — Ratan Tata

Good human relations not only bring great personal rewards but are essential to the success of any enterprise. — J.R.D. Tata

Money is like manure. It stinks when you pile it; it grows when you spread it — J.R.D. Tata

There has not been a conscious view of re-energising manufacturing. So, in some form, someone has to wave the Union Jack in the area of manufacturing. — Ratan Tata

People of great power wield great power, but people of lesser power or people who have fallen out of power go to jail without adequate evidence, or their bodies are found in the trunks of cars. — Ratan Tata

None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise none can destroy a person, but its own mindset can! — Ratan Tata

Just as the Japanese pioneered a new form of manufacturing - lean production and quite new standards of reliability - so Tata, too, is embracing new forms of manufacture in order to revolutionise the price to meet the consumer needs of a poor, developing country. — Martin Jacques

I think there are many honest businessmen. — Ratan Tata

The cost to Tata of purchasing Land Rover and Jaguar may have been small, but its wider symbolic significance is enormous. — Martin Jacques

I think the environment has become more competitive. That has made Indian industry more concerned with a) its customers, b) the quality of its products, and c) its brand image in the marketplace. — Ratan Tata

Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without deep thought and hard work, — J.R.D. Tata

I am proud of my country. But we need to unite to make a unified India, free of communalism and casteism. We need to build India into a land of equal opportunity for all. We can be a truly great nation if we set our sights high and deliver to the people the fruits of continued growth, prosperity and equal opportunity. — Ratan Tata

Fiat has assembly plants in Brazil and Argentina. — Ratan Tata

I have always been bullish about India's potential. I still am, and I feel India is a country that really has an enormous amount of potential and has the human capital to succeed. — Ratan Tata

The government should do its job. The government's job is, in fact, to run the country, to manage the country, to govern the country. And governance is an important thing, not application where it suits one so, to micro control where it suits them on the other hand. — Ratan Tata

Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick-growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens, reserved large areas for football, hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques and Christian churches. — Jamsetji Tata

We like to say that India has the advantage of being a large market. We have provinces, we have the rule of law, we have a system of justice. But those are also weaknesses when compared with China. On the other hand, one of our strengths is that we are very individualistic, and as individuals we are very creative. But that, too, is a weakness, because it keeps us from working well together. Everyone thinks only about his own profit. — Ratan Tata

Making steel may be compared to making a chappati. To make a good chappati, even a golden pin will not work unless the dough is good — J.R.D. Tata

I came seriously close to getting married four times, and each time I backed off in fear or for one reason or another. Each occasion was different, but in hindsight when I look at the people involved, it wasn't a bad thing what I did. I think it may have been more complex had the marriage taken place. — Ratan Tata

The country is now universally recognised as a nation on the move and takes its place amongst the successful economies in the region. The future potential is enormous but the country's destiny is in our hands. The time has come to move from small increments to bold, large initiatives. The time has come to stretch the envelope and set goals which were earlier not seen to be possible. The time has come for performance to be measured and for allocated funds of the government to reach the people for whom they were intended. — Ratan Tata

How important is failure - yes, failure - to the health of a thriving, innovative business? So important that Ratan Tata, chairman of India's largest corporation, gives an annual award to the employee who comes up with the best idea that failed. — Naveen Jain

It is during the bad times that the skilled manager lays firm foundations for future growth." - Ratan Tata — Suresh Lulla

The early Rockefellers made their wealth from being in certain businesses and remained personally very wealthy. — Ratan Tata

India has probably lost its position to China as the world's workshop. At the same time it has the power to be ahead of China when it comes to knowledge. Not that the Chinese are far behind. They will get there. But our challenge is to invest sufficiently in education. — Ratan Tata

When you have to earmark human and monetary resources for such a long time, it starts to hinder your other activities. — Ratan Tata

When you see in places like Africa and parts of Asia abject poverty, hungry children and malnutrition around you, and you look at yourself as being people who have well being and comforts, I think it takes a very insensitive, tough person not to feel they need to do something. — Ratan Tata

We live in a highly competitive world - and we Indians have to struggle to catch up. So modesty is necessary, even if there is also a need for a certain amount of national pride. When it comes down to it, we have managed our country's economy poorly for long enough. There is really no reason to now think that we can conquer the world. — Ratan Tata

I always felt that Nano should have been marketed towards the owner of a two-wheeler because it was conceived giving the people who rode on two wheels with the whole family an all-weather safe form of affordable transportation, not the cheapest. — Ratan Tata

Cleanliness is the Hallmark of perfect standards and the best quality inspector is the conscience — J.R.D. Tata

We're responsible for the fortunes of the company but this is a bone-dry situation in terms of access to credit. Nobody can operate on that basis unless you have large cash balances, which we don't. My concern is that the government doesn't appear to care about manufacturing. — Ratan Tata

Live Life a little dangerously — J.R.D. Tata

I buy a lot of electronics, some which I never take out of the box! — Ratan Tata

In a free enterprise, the community is not just another stakeholder, but is in fact the very purpose of its existence, — Jamsetji Tata

Happy". I had not heard that word since Mr. Milgrom spoke it at the last Hanukkah. I asked him the question that had been on my mind since then. "Tata, what is happy?"
He looked at me and at the ceiling and back to me.
"Did you ever taste an orange?" he said. — Jerry Spinelli

What are the crumple zones on scooters? The helmet is the only crumple zone I can think of. — Ratan Tata

To lead men, you have to lead them with affection. — J.R.D. Tata