"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."

"The Happiness Index of a culture can be judged by its festivals"

"Festivals are where you see the heart of a culture beating"

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

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

"Every day should be a festival."

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

"Vanity is the new modern day slavery"

"if Men are enslaved by the lure of money, women are by vanity"

"racism is arrogance at the highest level"

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

"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."

"Weddings are festivals between festivals"

"Weddings are occasions where couples make vows and promises they cannot keep"

"Weddings are what keeps customs alive"

"Weddings are days when the unwed dream of theirs... and the wedded regret theirs."

"If culture were a living body, festivals are its beating heart."

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

"The true happiness of a country is reflected in the eyes of its children."

"Change others only after you have transformed yourself."

"Changing others is simple; changing yourself is the real challenge."

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

"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"

"I create art because a single image can convey a thousand words."

"I do art because I can’t convey certain ideas through other means"

"I do art because it's my shot at eternity"

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

"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"

"If tolerance were bees then its hive is in India"

"As on a lake limpid like a mirror blooms a beautiful lotus and spreads it's fragrance around, so does this Lotus of the East rise in the midst of our people. This news is undoubtedly of great joy to us. Who can tell of what use it will be, where the fragrance of the Lotus will reach, if we do what is in our power to do! Man cannot live without companionship and no companionship can flourish without language."

"Generally, it is a question of the people. Particularly, in the present case, it is the question of the Konkani people—at home and abroad. The Konkani people just cannot afford to sit tight while communities all around strive with zeal for progress and honourable recognition; while Maharashtra on one side and Karnataka on the other side make their presence felt and their demands expressive. Emphatically, the Konkani people have a need to unite for uplifting the Konkan. These are the aspirations of all the Konkani speaking Indians. It is with these thoughts in mind, the Konkani people will be proud to hail the Konkani way of life. If the Konkani people give their support and cooperation in the way it is essential, there is no doubt that the Konkani way of life will strive to live up to the sterling idea it has set forth."

"I … allowed my memory to journey back to the days when I was a boy of ten, full of health and optimism, when my wonder at the great game of living had yet to give way to disillusionment at its shabbiness."

"The India I Love, does not make the headlines, but I find it wherever I go – in field or forest, town or village, mountain or desert – and in the hearts and minds of people who have given me love and affection for the better part of my lifetime."

"Full of spirit, wit and good sense and as free of humbug as the man himself, The Freethinker’s Prayer Book by Khushwant Singh, is a book of inspiration, comfort and entertainment for every discerning reader."

"Penguin Books India has had a long and wonderful association with Khushwant Singh. He has delighted generations of readers, and we are immensely proud to present 'Khushwantnama: The Lessons of My Life' on his 98th birthday,""

"I couldn't give a damn, [he said]. Writing is where I succeeded. I was a flop in everything else."

"I am trying hardest to see no one, because I find it tiresome. I have people descending on me and flattering me. I fall for flattery."

"I have to teach myself to do nothing. In the last phase of a man's life, according to the Hindu tradition, you're meant to be a forest dweller."

"Another expression of this tendency is the induction of Muslim divines into Sikh history, e.g. the by now widespread story that the foundation stone of the Hari Mandir was laid by the Sufi pîr Mian Mir. After this story was repeated again and again in his weekly column by Khushwant Singh, Sita Ram Goel wrote a detailed survey of the oldest and modernst sources pertaining to the construction of the Hari Mandir, found no trace of Mian Mir there, and concluded: "I request you to ... stop propping up a blatant forgery simply because it has become popular and is being patronised by those who control the neo-Sikh establishment." Khushwant Singh never mentioned Mian Mir again."