Evidence receipt / belief
Published · transcript-backedNarendra Modi: belief
16 Mar 2025 Lex Fridman Podcast #460 – Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India – Power, Democracy, War & Peace
“When I look at our country’s soldiers, I think about how many hours someone spends working tirelessly in snow, deserts, or even underwater day and night.”
Source trail
Everything needed to verify it.
- Speaker
- Narendra Modi
- Attribution
- Verified speaker
- Claim type
- belief
- Recorded
- 16 Mar 2025
- Publisher
- Lex Fridman Podcast
Transcript context
…I’ve heard from many people that you are the hardest worker they know. What’s your philosophy behind that? Maybe you put in crazy hours every single day. Do you ever get tired? What’s your source of strength and perseverance through all of that? Look, first of all, I don’t believe I’m the only one working. I look at the people around me and always think these people work harder than I do. When I think about farmers, I realize how hard they work. They toil and sweat under the open sky day after day. When I look at our country’s soldiers, I think about how many hours someone spends working tirelessly in snow, deserts, or even underwater day and night. When I see a laborer, I think about how hard they’re working. I always think about how hard our mothers and sisters work in every family for the happiness of the family. They’re the first to wake up and the last to go to bed, taking care of everyone in the family, while also managing social responsibilities. Thinking of all this, I’m in awe of how hard people work. So I think, “How can I sleep? How can I relax?” So naturally the motivation is right in front of my eyes. Those very things around me keep me motivated. Secondly, my responsibilities keep pushing me forward. The responsibilities entrusted to me by my fellow citizens always remind me that I’m not here to enjoy privileges. I will always give it my absolute best. Perhaps there are a couple of things I may not accomplish, but there will never be a lack of effort or hard work from me. When I was campaigning in 2014, I had made a promise first in Gujarat and later across India. I promised my fellow citizens that I will never fall behind in hard work for my country. Secondly, I promised I would never act with bad intentions, and thirdly, I vowed I’d never do anything for personal gain. Today it’s been 24 years. For such a long period, the people have entrusted me as head of government. I’ve continuously held myself to these three standards, and I still live by them today. My inspiration comes from serving 1.4 billion people from understanding and fulfilling their aspirations and addressing their needs. I’m always determined to do as much as I can, work as hard as possible. Even today, my energy remains just as strong. Me as an engineer, as a person who loves mathematics, I have to ask Srinivasa Ramanujan is an Indian mathematician from a century ago. He’s widely considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Self-taught, grew up in poverty. You have often spoken about him. What do you find inspiring about him?…
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