Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous edition here). Share these 30 gems and insights from the week of March 7-13 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
See also our pick of Top Quotes of 2021 on Entrepreneurship, Investment, Digital Transformation, Storytelling, The India Opportunity, Pandemic Resilience, Failure Recovery, Design, and Art.
Never step back from living life on your own terms and never let people tell you what is right or wrong. That is the premise of our lives – yours and mine. - Kena Shree
Your experiences are a treasure trove of ideas, opinions and stories. Tell a story that is uniquely you - don’t try to mimic another author. - Rashmi Parekh, 'Inscape'
Define your own success, your biggest competition is you, strive to be a better version of yourself … and feed your strengths. - Shalini Chaudhari, Infosys
Self-care makes you a better caregiver and it can therefore never be an act of selfishness. - Neha Gupta, Proactive for Her
Saying no is also essential, because [agreeing to everything] sometimes takes away the focus from your priorities. - Manali Das, Kyndryl
When you start thinking big, no one really supports you or your decision, but once you achieve it, everything falls into place and people begin to appreciate you. - Arunima Sinha
It's easy to get caught up worrying about the future or regretting the past. Instead, focus on appreciating the present. - Kush Mahajan, Kyndryl
Bias often starts in our own head and it’s something we can control. - Radhika Gupta, Edelweiss
Follow your passion and interests and be open to adding new elements to your skill set. - Jennifer Andrews, Kyndryl
Women must take care of their heart, because they also suffer from diseases like heart problems, hypertension, obesity, sleep apnea, arthritis etc. - P.K. Hazra, AMRI Hospitals
If women representation improves in roles that are closer to value creation, then equity would seem to be a more achievable goal. - Mansee Singhal, Mercer
Women today are creating exceptional and ground-breaking accomplishments in every sphere of life and are optimistic about what the future holds for them. - Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for MSME
There is a lot of investment that happens to help women grow in an organisation, but the woman also has to seize these opportunities. - Nasreen Dawood, Kyndryl
Hopefully someday we will no longer feel the need to create a separate category of 'top 100 women leaders'. Instead, we will just find women entering the ‘top 100 leaders’ list. - Jyotsna Krishnan, Elevar Equity
With just the quest to learn, a passion to create unique solutions or by exploring a simple idea, women today can create an empire. - Aayur Kaul, Skillshare
Starting up is a waiting game – it takes a lot of thick skin and efforts for women to fend off criticisms from family members and society. - Vidya Sridharan, Riskcovry
There are complementary strengths between genders, which help build a much more valuable venture. - Padmaja Ruparel, IAN
If you don’t start up, you will not know how far you can go. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes, because only then can you learn to do better. - Elvira, Chezvies Patterns
We all fail. We all make mistakes. The key is to not be oblivious to the mistake. - Kumar Mangalam Birla
Risk management is important, no doubt about that, but not taking calculated risks, especially in the startup ecosystem, is plain cheating. - Appalla Saikiran, SCOPE
It is crucial to put ourselves in various challenging situations to build confidence. - Sheela Siddappa, Kyndryl
While criticisms are temporary, learnings are permanent. - Shrijay Sheth, LegalWiz.in
Do not take rejection personally and try rising about it. Only a rejection can prepare you for another. - Kamakshi Agarwala, Butt-Chique
Early-stage entrepreneurs not only need access to capital, but also a lot of help in refining their business model, product thinking, and go-to-market strategies. - Krishna Kumar, Simplilearn
Financial institutions have lately been focussing on SME lending and by virtue of that, there is tremendous interest in SCF (supply chain financing). - Rajesh Rajendran
Community participation in the development and implementation of mitigation strategies ensures ownership which contributes to their sustainability. - Manu Gupta, SEEDS
This target group [millennials] is not brand-loyal. They are always on the hunt for something new, something unique. - Aakanksha Gandhi, Vadilal
Authenticity and human connection are the crux of the Human Age mindset. - Marut Bhardwaj, Potential Project India
Culture obviously is not about talking about things in the all-hands meeting or putting up some nice posters… culture was just defining our own acts every day. - Rajnish Kumar, Ixigo
Having a diverse team ensures creating easy-to-use, accessible, and inclusive products. - Ankit Mathuria, OYO
It’s important to also find someone to talk to, find your cheerleaders. - Rachael Zavodnyik, Infosys
Corporate wellness is something that is the need of the hour. It is important to curate a policy or a session that benefits your employees as well as their efficiency and productivity. - Sanchit Malik, Paz Care
There is no point in learning the tactics if you’re climbing the wrong mountain! - Robin Sharma, ‘The Everyday Hero Manifesto’
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).