'Nobody Died of Hard Work': Harish Salve on the Driving Force of His Life and 'Passion For Excellence'

Legal giant Padma Bhushan Harish Salve, King's Counsel (UK), former Solicitor General of India, and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, said that his mantra in life is hard work.

Stressing the importance of hard work and passion towards work, he told Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in an interview for the show 'Legends', "Very early in life, my Guru lit a fire in me—a passion for excellence. A passion for excellence is not a passion for money; it's not a passion for prosperity. I was always taught that prosperity should be a by-product of excellence. It should never become an aim in life."

"Passion for excellence is a very tough taskmaster. When you want every time to come back and say, 'I was the best, you have to work very hard, and when you tell your body, 'Look, I cannot compromise on this,' I am lucky that my body cooperates," he added.

Asked about his busy schedule despite his age, where he could choose to relax, especially after an illustrious career, he said that it is hard work that keeps him going in life.

"I have always said, 'Nobody died of hard work.' I know a lot of people who have died of indolence and indulgence. So, that (hard work) is what drives me," he told Arnab Goswami.

In the show, the Supreme Court Senior Advocate also shared words of wisdom for young lawyers.

Salve opined that lawyers should never judge themselves by the result of their case.

“If you win it, you could have won because the opponent was not good enough or because the judge didn't see through what you were saying. Maybe there was an answer that you could find, but he didn't find it. Or many times you lose because the intellectual calibre of the judge didn't connect,” he added.

Also Read: 'Why These Double Standards?': Harish Salve Decodes Justice Yashwant Varma's Burning Cash Scandal