As India prepares to celebrate Teachers’ Day on 5 September 2025, it is a moment to remember the life and words of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, whose birthday is the reason for this national observance. Born on 5 September 1888 in the Madras Presidency, he went on to become one of the most respected teachers and thinkers in the country.
Dr. Radhakrishnan began his academic career as a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore and later at the University of Calcutta. He served as the second Vice Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936 and as the fourth Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University from 1939 to 1948. His influence extended beyond the classroom when he became the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and later the second President of India (1962–1967).
The tradition of Teachers’ Day in India began in 1962 when some of his students approached him to celebrate his birthday. Dr. Radhakrishnan suggested instead that the day be dedicated to honouring teachers across the nation. Since then, 5 September has been observed as Teachers’ Day every year.
Also Read: Why is September 5 Celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India?
On this occasion, his words continue to inspire students, educators, and citizens. Here are some of his most notable quotes:
- “Tolerance is the homage which the finite mind pays to the inexhaustibility of the infinite.”
- “Knowledge gives us power, love gives us fullness.”
- “When we think we know we cease to learn.”
- “Books are the means by which we build bridges between cultures.”
- “The true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves.”
- “God lives, feels, and suffers in every one of us, and in the course of time, His attributes, knowledge, beauty and love will be revealed in each of us.”
- “Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers’ Day.”
- “True religion is a revolutionary force: it is an inveterate enemy of oppression, privilege, and injustice.”
- “A life of joy and happiness is possible only on the basis of knowledge and science.”
- “The end-product of education should be a free creative man, who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature.”
- “The main function of a university is not to grant degrees and diplomas but to develop the university spirit and advance learning.”
- “Discontent with the actual is the necessary precondition of every moral change and spiritual rebirth.”
- “The worst sinner has a future, even as the greatest saint has had a past. No one is as good or bad as he imagines.”
- “Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that can not be defined but is only to be experienced.”
- “My ambition is not only to chronicle but to interpret and reveal the movement of the mind and unfold the sources of India in the profound plane of human nature.”
- “Love thy neighbour as thyself because you are your neighbour. It is an illusion that makes you think that your neighbour is someone other than yourself.”
- “It takes centuries to make a little history, it takes centuries of history to make a tradition.”
- “Education to be complete, must be humane, it must include not only training of intellect but refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit.”
- “We should be the advocates of peaceful change and advocates of radical reforms.”
- “When we talk about coexistence it does not mean that the aggrieved and the aggressor should live together. We will do our utmost to help the oppressed to redeem themselves from oppression.”
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