Dr APJ Abdul Kalam death anniversary: Check out the Missile Man's inspiring quotes

New Delhi, July 27: Popularly called the "Missile Man" of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of India who had earned the reputation of being the "people's President" who endeared himself to all sections, especially the young.

Born and raised in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on October 15, 1931, Kalam, who is known for having a unique style, joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) after studying physics and aerospace engineering after graduating from Madras Institute of Technology.

Mainly focusing on research in defence and space arena, he later involved himself in the India's missile programme. His contribution to the ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology earned him the named as the "Missile Man of India".

Kalam, who received seveeral prestigious awards including Bharat Ratna, played a crucial role when India tested its nuclear weapons at Pokhran in 1998 when the Vajpayee government was in power.

A vegetarian bachelor, Kalam was quoted as saying that like most of the technology he spearheaded, he himself was "Made in India", having never been trained abroad.

Kalam succeeded K R Narayanan and served a full five-year term from 2002 until 2007 after he won the Presidential elections which was a highly one-sided contest with Lakshmi Sahgal, a revolutionary of the Indian Independence movement, as his rival. He secured the backing of all political parties.

On July 27, 2015, he passed away while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong.

On his death anniversary, here are some of his most inspiring quotes at are sure to give wings to your goals and skyrocket your dreams:

• If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.
• You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
• To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.
• Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.
• Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.
• You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear.
• My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.
• Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.
• Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.
• Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.