Sheikh Mohammed's dedication to his wife "you are the spirit of Dubai"
“You are the beginning of life and the most beautiful thing in it…”
Sheikh Mohammed
On leadership
It is easy to rule through fear, but it takes a rare leader to rule through love.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the future
An Arab official once asked me about the target the UAE wanted to achieve from launching the first Arab probe to Mars. I told him: we want to send a message of hope to 350 million Arabs that we are capable of reclaiming our future.
Sheikh Mohammed
On what makes a great leader
A great leader creates more leaders and does not reduce the institution to a single person.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the danger of inaction
If we had waited for regional stability to be restored before launching our huge projects, where would we be today?
Sheikh Mohammed
On positivity
Does running water stop when it reaches a rock? Of course not. It turns either left or right, and continues its way. Likewise, a positive person is confident that no challenge will stand in the way of achieving his or her goal.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the diminishing attribution of luck
I once read an article in a foreign newspaper saying luck smiles back at Dubai. I respond, when they want to diminish your achievements, they attribute them to luck.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the importance of Middle East history
Arab civilization once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and will play that role again.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the power of doing
A few mistakes made by a person working productively cost far less than a person paralysed by laziness or fear.
Sheikh Mohammed
On horsemanshipÂ
Not every rider is a horseman and not every horseman is a knight.
Sheikh Mohammed
On the importance of good governance
Governments, like people, grow old. They start life small and eager to survive, fuelled by youthful energy and fresh ideas but eventually, with few exceptions, fade into obscurity. Governments, too, can lose the hunger and ambition of youth, and become complacent.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has dedicated this year’s Accession Day celebrations (held on January 4 each year to mark the Sheikh’s accession to the throne) to his wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum, who he refers to as “my companion, my support and my backer”.
In a touching post on social media, he went to say “Sheikha Hind is one of the most compassionate, generous and charitable people. She is the pillar of my home, the foundation of my family and my greatest supporter throughout my career.”
“My biggest wish, Hind, is that God protects you, makes you happy, and keeps love between us. You are the beginning of life and the most beautiful thing in it, and you are the spirit of Dubai, its pulse, and its joy.”
“I call on everyone to be loyal to those who deserve loyalty… loyalty to our companion on the path… and our support in this life… The best of people is the best to his family, as our noble Prophet says.”
No stranger to the world of poetic verse, Sheikh Mohammed has of course published books and authored many memorable quotes during his visionary stewardship of Dubai. We’ve assembled some of our favourites in the picture gallery here, extracted from his book Flashes of Wisdom, which is available in Arabic in English in most major bookshops now and on BooksArabia.com from Dhs40.
Images: What’s On archive
