Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Urdu: محمد علی جناح), famously known as ‘Quaid-e-Azam‘ (“Great Leader“) and ‘Baba-e-Qaum’ (“Father of the Nation”) for his role in the founding of Pakistan and separation from India following liberation from British colonial rule.
“You have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic social justice, and the equality of manhood in your own native soil.”
“Come forward as servants of Islam, organize the people economically, socially, educationally and politically and I am sure that you will be a power that will be accepted by everybody.”
“I do not believe in taking the right decision, I take a decision and make it right.”
“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”
“Failure is a word unknown to me.”
“No settlement with the majority is possible as no Hindu leader speaking with any authority shows any concern or genuine desire for it.”
“We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own lights and culture and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.”
“My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with the grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.”
“With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to the duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”
“Think a hundred times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.”
“Democracy is in the blood of the Muslims, who look upon complete equality of mankind, and believe in fraternity, equality, and liberty.”
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
“You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude and determination you bring to it.”
“With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”
“No nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”
“The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him). We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect.”
“Do not forget that the armed forces are the servants of the people. You do not make national policy; it is we, the civilians, who decide these issues and it is your duty to carry out these tasks with which you are entrusted.”
“I have lived as plain Mr. Jinnah and I hope to die as plain Mr. Jinnah. I am very much averse to any title or honours and I will be more than happy if there was no prefix to my name.”
“We have undoubtedly achieved Pakistan, and that too without bloody war, practically peacefully, by moral and intellectual force, and with the power of the pen, which is no less mighty than that of the sword and so our righteous cause has triumphed.”
“Islam expect every Muslim to do this duty, and if we realise our responsibility time will come soon when we shall justify ourselves worthy of a glorious past.”
“Pakistan not only means freedom and independence but the Muslim Ideology which has to be preserved, which has come to us as a precious gift and treasure and which, we hope other will share with us.”
“I have nothing to do with this pseudo-religious approach that Gandhi is advocating.”
“Pakistan is now a sovereign state, absolute and unfettered, and the Government of Pakistan is in the hands of the people. Until we finally frame our constitution, which, of course, can only be done by a Constituent Assembly, our present provisional constitution based on the fundamental principles of democracy, not bureaucracy, autocracy, or dictatorship, must be worked. You officers should realize that these are the principles which should be borne in mind.”
“No man should lose his liberty or be deprived of his liberty without a judicial trial in accordance with the accepted rules of evidence and procedure.”
“The powers which are going to be assumed by the executive, which means substitution of executive for judiciary, such powers are likely to be abused.”
“I am a firm believer that no man’s liberty should be taken away for a single minute without a proper judicial inquiry.”
“My dear Mr. Jinnah, I know you are a busy man; but I do hope you won’t mind my writing to you so often, as you are the only Muslim in India today to whom the community has a right to look up for safe guidance through the storm which is coming to NorthWest India and perhaps to the whole of India.”
“Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”
“Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the figure who in many ways [is] one of the most remarkable men in the 20th century, personally pushed through an entirely new country onto the map of the world, who developed an entire movement that involved millions of people.”
“The two things that made the greatest impression on me were seeing the Taj Mahal and Mr. Jinnah for the first time.”