Top ten quotes by Vajpayee that define his legacy as a leader

New Delhi, Aug 16: Today marks the first death anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, known for his charismatic personality, wit and oratorical skill.

Known as "Bhishma Pitamah" of Indian Politics, Vajpayee may no longer be here today but the nation remembers his legacy of being a man of masses and an ardent champion of women empowerment and social equality.

Remembering the BJP stalwart on his first death anniversary, we bring you some of his most famous quotes which left a mark on Indian polity.

• If India is not secular, then India is not India at all.
• Politics is a game of compromise.
• You can change friends but not neighbours.
• Terrorism has become a festering wound. It is an enemy of humanity.
• No guns only brotherhood can resolve the problems.
• It is easy to win elections by raising the slogan of 'garibi hatao' but slogans do not remove poverty.
• My poetry is a declaration of war, not an exordium to defeat. It is not the defeated soldiers' drumbeat of despair, but the fighting warrior's will to win.
• Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-in-hand, for victory will be ours.
• My poet's heart gives me the strength to face political problems, particularly those which have a bearing on my conscience.
• We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars... if we must wage war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty, and backwardness.