Jamshyd Godrej Quotes

Powerful Jamshyd Godrej for Daily Growth

About Jamshyd Godrej

Jamshyd Bomanji Godrej was a renowned Indian industrialist, philanthropist, and art connoisseur, born on August 31, 1940, in Bombay (now Mumbai). He was the son of Adi Baba Godrej, co-founder of the Godrej Group, one of India's leading business conglomerates. Godrej pursued his education at Doon School and later graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics. His time at Yale significantly influenced his worldview and commitment to social responsibility. After returning to India, he joined the Godrej Group, eventually becoming its Chairman. Under Godrej's leadership, the Godrej Group expanded its product portfolio and geographical presence. He was instrumental in the establishment of several successful ventures, including Godrej Properties, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), and Godrej Agrovet. Godrej was not just a businessman but also a passionate art collector and patron. He founded The Godrej Collection, which houses over 3,500 works of Indian modern and contemporary art. His support for the arts extended beyond collecting; he also served as the Chairman of the Mumbai-based Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS Museum). In recognition of his contributions, Godrej was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2010. He passed away on March 3, 2022, leaving behind a legacy of business acumen, philanthropy, and cultural patronage. One of Godrej's most notable quotes is, "Business is a marathon, not a sprint." This quote encapsulates his philosophy of long-term growth and sustainability in business, a value that continues to guide the Godrej Group today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"In business, I look for opportunities that are not only profitable but also contribute positively to society."

The quote emphasizes the dual role businesses should play in today's world: generating profit while also making a positive impact on society. This approach suggests that successful business operations are not merely about economic gains, but also about creating a lasting and beneficial change for communities or the environment at large. It implies a holistic view of entrepreneurship that considers both financial success and social responsibility as integral components of thriving businesses in the modern era.


"Success is a journey, not a destination. Keep walking and learning every step of the way."

This quote emphasizes that success is an ongoing process rather than a final destination. It encourages continuous growth, learning, and progress throughout one's life or endeavor. The emphasis is on enjoying the journey towards mastery and personal development, as much as reaching the eventual goal itself. Learning from each step taken is crucial for long-term success and fulfillment.


"A good leader has vision and courage to make tough decisions."

The quote underscores that effective leadership entails not only having a clear, future-oriented perspective (vision) but also the determination and strength (courage) to implement difficult choices when necessary. This blend of foresight and resolve is crucial in guiding teams or organizations through challenges and towards success.


"Innovation comes from combining resources and knowledge in unique ways."

This quote by Jamshyd Godrej emphasizes that true innovation emerges not just from acquiring new resources or knowledge, but from creatively blending existing ones in original and unconventional methods. It underscores the importance of synergy and cross-pollination in driving progress and generating fresh ideas.


"The key to sustainability is balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and social development."

This quote emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to achieve sustainability in any system or organization. Economic growth is crucial for progress and prosperity, but it must be balanced with protecting the environment to ensure long-term viability and preserving natural resources for future generations. Simultaneously, social development plays an essential role in ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are equitably distributed among all members of society, creating a fair and just world. The challenge lies in finding the delicate balance between these three elements: economic growth, environmental protection, and social development, so they can coexist harmoniously for a sustainable future.


The links have to be between universities, R&D institutes, and industry. If these linkages are in place, it will result in products that are useful for society. The government has to leverage the money it spends on R&D to help develop new products useful for industry.

- Jamshyd Godrej

New, Will, Leverage, New Products

As a group, we want to follow good and green strategy. Setting targets is one element of that. The second part is to design products which meet environmental goals.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Environmental, Green, Which, Targets

When there is a situation where one does not see demand for a year or two, then capex is suspended. It will reverse only when the situation improves.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Will, Year, Improves, Suspended

Our CII building in Hyderabad has zero discharge of water. Every drop of water is treated and reused.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Drop, Zero, Treated, Discharge

I don't think manufacturing should be looked at independently. It is part of the economy. So, when the economy does well, and when there is investment, the sector does well.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Think, Part, Looked, Manufacturing

Economic growth can enable development if it is supplemented by public policies that encourage circulation of wealth, especially into crucial areas such as public healthcare and education.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Wealth, Development, Supplemented

Typically, market-driven growth spawns urbanisation and leads to migration. Urban centres expand into humongous entities that thrive on an unending supply of energy.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Unending, Supply, Expand, Migration

The government is a very large constructor. They have schools, colleges, hospitals and courts, offices. We are trying to influence the public works department to adopt green buildings.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Hospitals, Very, Works, Department

In a company, you buy thousands of things. Every item you buy has its own footprint.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Own, Buy, Item, Footprint

Our experience is that most entrepreneurs are able to attract debt, even for risky and early stage investments. There are investors who provide debt, but very few who fund through equity.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Through, Very, Entrepreneurs, Risky

Every year, millions of vaccines get wasted due to inadequate storage facilities. India is a focus for us, as this is a very big challenge for the country as well as other countries across the globe.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Big, Very, Big Challenge, Facilities

Government should concentrate on building up infrastructure and skill development. Simplification of taxation is another important area.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Development, Another, Area, Concentrate

Sometimes, we use the term 'growth' as a number and sometimes as an abstraction, but the underlying implication is always that, if the country grows at a certain rate, at the end there will be a pot of gold for everyone.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Country, Always, Grows, Implication

Infrastructure projects create a lot of demand for material, services and manpower. It is a chain reaction; if the infrastructure growth slows down, it will hit overall demand. The supply side has to keep increasing to sustain growth.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Chain, Side, Projects, Sustain

The government shouldn't step in at the first stage and create land banks. Industry should buy the land as much as they can, and if they get stuck, then the government should step in.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Industry, Buy, Banks, Stuck

Besides infrastructure, there is a huge opportunity in housing and urbanisation of cities - not only building new ones, but also renewing the infrastructure of old cities to make them more livable. This provides tremendous scope for large investments to fuel growth.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Housing, Fuel, Livable, Besides

Clubbing energy efficiency with renewable energy will give us the much-needed window to incubate the renewable energy sector, particularly large solar, without having to increase the price of electricity.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Efficiency, Give, Having, Energy

Industry looks at research and development for energy efficiency, lowering material costs, so on and so forth.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Development, Looks, Costs, Lowering

We have to develop the whole system of early stage investors and a tax system around it. For every Google that has come on the scene, there are hundred entrepreneurs who never did.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Tax, Hundred, Entrepreneurs, Tax System

How do you actually green the supply chain is a challenge. The easier part is to do what we do; the difficult part is to get all your clients to long process will take time.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Green, Process, Chain, Easier

Godrej is committed towards improving quality of life in society.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Society, Committed, Towards, Improving

While academic abilities remain integral, it is the work ethics that form the soul of the business.

- Jamshyd Godrej

Business, Academic, Form, Ability

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