Is Office Politics Killing You And Making Your Workplace Worse For You?
You Boss/Colleagues Remind you of Miranda Priestly from Devil Wears Prada
These quotes on office politics are for you then!!
Chanakya also was known as Kautilya, Vishnugupta. Being one of the most intellectual men in Indian history has always inspired everyone through his contribution of knowledge. His works not only motivate us to succeed but talk about the reality of life which is applicable in different spheres of life.
These are some quotes on office politics By Chanakya that will surely help you empower your mind to understand human nature and how you can survive office politics easily.
1. About Planning
“Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determines to carry it into execution.”
Meaning– According to Chanakya, office politics quotes mean that you should never tell your plans and goals to anyone until and unless it is achieved. Because this can demoralize the motivation required to work harder by satisfying only your self-identity. Moreover, after announcing the plans, different people will come to you with their personal opinions regarding your objectives which will make you more vulnerable to failure.
2. About Management
“He whose actions are disorganized has no happiness either in the midst of men or in a jungle – in the midst of men his heart burns by social contacts, and his helplessness burns him in the forest.”
Meaning– A person who is disorganized in his actions can never remain calm and happy regardless of any place or situation. For e.g. – In your workplace, if all your tasks are muddled up you won’t be able to give your 100%. This will automatically lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. And nobody would want to stay in a company of an ineffective person.
3. About Sales
“We should always speak what would please the man of whom we expect a favor, like a hunter who sings sweetly when he desires to shoot a dear.”
Meaning– It is important that we talk in a pleasing manner from whom we are expecting a favor. Your pleasing conversation would be your bait to get your job done. Just like the hunter plans to entice deer with his sweet singing and then shoot it.
4. About Experience
“A learned man is honored by the people. A learned man commands respect everywhere for his learning. Indeed, learning is honored everywhere.
Meaning – A person who always ques for knowledge always holds high esteem among people. You need to believe that learning is a never-ending process and will surely achieve great success in life. Everyone respects learning because nobody wants to make mistakes. And if with other’s knowledge, you can gain the advantage, then what is wrong with letting them suggest you some action plans?
5. About Trust
“Do not put your trust in a bad companion not even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.”
Meaning– Chanakya in office politics quotes believes that you should keep your secrets secret. Especially, when it is colleagues or any ordinary friend. Because if he gets angry with you at some point, he will reveal all your plans and secrets. As time is always uncertain and you definitely don’t know who is your actual well-wisher.
6. Life Of An Uneducated Person
“The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end nor protects it from the bites of the insects.”
Meaning – The quote basically refers that a person with no education is helpless. Education has a very important part in our social well-being and one cannot become civilized until getting a proper education. Likewise, if you don’t upgrade yourself with the upcoming trends and technologies, you will eventually become powerless as your growth will get stagnant and obsolete.
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7. About Closed Ones
“Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity and a wife in misfortune.”
Meaning– Everyone will behave well with you when the times are good. But the real test of your close associates will be when the time is against you. You seek help from your friends when you are in an adverse situation. That is when your fake friends will back out by throwing random excuses. While the real ones will come forward to help you get through that time.
8. About Mentor
“The scholar who has acquired knowledge by studying innumerable books without the blessings of a bonafide spiritual master does not shine in an assembly of truly learned men just as an illegitimate child is not honored in society.”
Meaning – Chanakya himself being a great teacher truly believes that a student cannot succeed in his life without the utmost blessings of his mentor. A student might get a lot of knowledge through books and volumes. However, it is almost impossible to channel it in the right direction without the support of a mentor. So, always have a mentor in your life.
9. Judging A Man
“As gold is tested in four ways by rubbing, cutting, heating and beating – so a man should be tested by these four things: his renunciation, his conduct, his qualities and his actions.”
Meaning– The way gold is tested in different ways to check its purity and originality. Similarly, a human can be easily judged through his deeds, his qualities, his overall sacrifices, and the way of conducting his life principles. There is no other way to judge someone.
10. About Sweet Talkers
“Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.”
Meaning – Chanakya said that you should be very careful about people. There could be many people in your surroundings let’s say in your workplace who will try to be good with you and try to sugar-coat everything they say. But you never know if that same person might be backstabbing you. Simply, it is very important to identify fake people, especially in the office space where everyone is busy sorting their own lives.
11. About Anger
“Anger is a blunt tool. It won’t hurt your enemies. However, It will definitely hurt you.”
Meaning – Chanakya said that there is no point in getting angry and acting outrageously. If you react violently at work and let your anger control you in any way, you will end up hurting yourself. Not only will the anger work against you, but also ruin all the good that you have done so far. Never unleash your anger at work about something, which you know can be taken care of by a calm-headed discussion. Always avoid losing your temper because you will be the one who will get adversely affected by it.
12. Whom you should help at work
“Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others. The water of the sea received by the clouds is always sweet.”
Meaning – A workplace is always full of people who need some help or the other. Chanakya says that you should be careful about the person you help. You should only offer help to someone who genuinely needs it and is grateful to accept your help. Keep away from people who make it a habit to take your help in completing a task and then owning the work as if he/she has done it on their own. Save your time and only help people in need.
13. About Honesty
“A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.”
Meaning –  When it comes to honesty, Chanakya says that you should not be too honest. It means that if you are too honest and too down to earth, you will always be the first one to get screwed at the workplace. Always be smart and work smartly. Moreover, don’t portray yourself as someone who can be easily manipulated. This will help you in saving a lot of trouble for yourself.
14. About Working
“Before you start some work, always ask yourself these three questions- Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.”
Meaning – When you are at your workplace, don’t do anything without proper knowledge. Just because someone tells you to do something, don’t start it immediately. Ask around and only begin the work when having satisfactory answers. This will help you avoid unnecessary stress because you would not end up wasting your time on something that was worthless.
15. About Competition
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.“
Meaning –The saying is applicable to both professional job searches and employment searches for educational positions. One of the best methods to play better than everyone else is to practice and prepare.
16. Winston Churchill’s Quote
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Meaning– Stop focusing on mistakes you made or what went wrong. Instead, concentrate on the next step. Spend your time and effort improving and looking for opportunities in every new obstacle.
17. Mason Cooley’s Quote
“Office politics are bloody-minded but weak on content.”
Meaning– Office politics are a necessary and unavoidable aspect of working life. As we’ve seen, a lot of office politics quotations emphasize the need of creating and upholding “good politics” in order to gain the upper hand. In order to improve your interpersonal abilities, consider your emotions and develop self-control. Develop your “people skills” and practice acting with thought.
18. Peter F. Drucker’s Quote
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”
Meaning- This office politics phrase is also highly applicable outside of the job since it emphasizes the value of being nonverbally intelligent. Only 7% of your message is affected by spoken communication. The remaining communication is nonverbal, with your look and body language being the most effective nonverbal cues.
19. Eleanor Roosevelt’s Quote
“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
Meaning: This comment on office politics is very applicable to both the workplace and real life. The truth is that every time you encounter a circumstance that seems insurmountable, you will discover that if you can survive that, you can survive anything.
20. Â Steve Jobs Quote
“In weak companies, politics win. In strong companies, the best ideas do.”
Meaning: According to this quotation about office politics, office politics in weak firms force people with brilliant ideas to give up their success in order to preserve control and power.
In Conclusion:
Hope these quotes for office politics give you the right knowledge and direction so that you can focus on yourself without worrying about unnecessary things.
Share these quotes about office politics post with your loved ones who you think could fall into the pit of ‘Office Politics’.
