Quote of the day by Shah Rukh Khan: ‘Use your power to break barriers…’

“You may use your power to build walls and to keep people outside, or you may use it to break barriers and welcome them in.” — Shah Rukh Khan

LiveMint's quote of the day by Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan is a reminder that every time we gain a new level of influence, no matter how small, we face a choice between protecting our own comfort or expanding the circle of opportunity for someone else.

What does it mean?

Shah Rukh Khan is highlighting two fundamentally opposed ways to operate in the world once you have gained some level of influence:

• Building Walls: This is the instinct of self-preservation, tribalism, and gatekeeping. It is using your resources to protect your own status, hoard opportunities, and keep "others" out of fear or a sense of superiority.
• Breaking Barriers: This is the choice of radical empathy. It requires using your leverage, visibility, and resources to dismantle the very obstacles that once held you (or others) back, actively inviting people into spaces they were previously denied access to.

How is it relevant today?

This framework is incredibly urgent in today's landscape, particularly in how we consume and distribute information, and how we lead.

• Power of Digital Narratives: In the modern media ecosystem, whoever shapes the narrative holds immense power. Those who craft headlines, manage editorial strategies, and direct digital search traffic possess a unique kind of influence. This power can easily be used to build walls—by generating polarising, outrage-driven content that traps readers in ideological echo chambers. Conversely, it can be used to break barriers by democratizing information, making complex global news accessible, and fostering an informed, connected public.
• Institutional Gatekeeping: In corporate and institutional environments, leaders face this choice daily. A manager or executive can use their authority to build walls by withholding mentorship, enforcing rigid hierarchies, and creating exclusive cliques. Or, they can break barriers by advocating for transparent hiring, mentoring junior talent, and creating a culture where diverse perspectives are genuinely welcomed at the table.

• Social Media “Echo Chamber”: On a localised, everyday level, the quote applies to how individuals use their personal platforms. We possess the power to build walls by blocking out dissenting voices and engaging in "cancel culture," or we can break barriers by choosing to engage in good-faith, constructive dialogue with those outside our immediate algorithms.

When was it said?

Shah Rukh Khan delivered this powerful statement on 27 April 2017, during his globally broadcast TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada. Titled “Thoughts on humanity, fame and love,” the speech marked his debut on the primary TED stage and remains one of the most widely viewed and dissected talks delivered by an Indian cultural figure.

During this twenty-minute address, Khan explored the rapid, often disorienting evolution of human society, drawing an extended, self-deprecating parallel between the trajectory of modern humanity and his own journey as an ageing movie star.

More popular quotes from Shah Rukh Khan

• “There's no such thing as ‘normal’. That's just another word for lifeless. Madness is an absolute prerequisite to a happy and successful life.”
• “All the names you give yourself, or those that others call you, are just labels. You are not defined by them, no matter how flattering or uncomplimentary they are. What defines you is your heart.”
• “Whatever it is that is pulling you back, it's not going away unless you stand up and start forging your own path with all your might in the opposite direction.”
• “There is no real measure of success in this world except the ability to make good of life's endowments to you. Honour your life by not laying it to waste.”
• “Neither power nor poverty can make your life more magical or less torturous... Whatever helps you survive is perhaps the oldest and simplest emotion known to mankind. And that is love.”
• “Mankind will never be the wiser about its future unless it is coupled with a sense of love and compassion for their fellow beings.”