Quotes from Lakshmi Mittal

At the end of the day you have to keep emotions away.

Always think outside the box and embrace opportunities that appear, wherever they might be.

The danger, though - and there have been signs of this recently - is that Europe begins to demonstrate a return to more nationalist sentiment. To my mind, that would be a great mistake.

When people can see which direction the leaders are going in it becomes easier to motivate them.

I am very confident that we will be able to convince all the stakeholders - the shareholders, the governments and the employees, that this is in their best interests.

We have no intention of shutting down plants. We have always said there will be no redundancies or lay-offs as a result of this merger.

There will be no job cuts arising out of this merger in Europe - this is in the interest of jobs in Europe.

This is not about creating a giant. It's about creating the sustainability of the steel industry.

We do not believe in oversupplying the market. When you are a large company, you can afford to do it. When you are a small player, your flexibility gets reduced.

A strong player, which has the sufficient critical mass, can withhold pressure better and create a more stable environment that benefits shareholders as well as employees.

I understand that this has taken a lot of politicians by surprise. But we believe that this is an important and right step for the steel industry.

We are beginning to see the benefits of globalconsolidation.

It is true that we are interested in scale but there are very sound reasons for this.

We have experienced highly challenging global market conditions in the past quarter with significant steel price decline in all regions.

It's difficult for them to do a deal at these levels.

We are pleased with the very positive reception our offer has received, and are confident that progress is being made towards establishing the regulatory framework for the offer.

I have confidence that the government of Luxembourg will not make any decision that frustrates this transaction.

It's true that I run a multi-national group but I have no interests in India. So please tell me, what should my identity be?

This is a learning in the business life that first of all you need to have commitment, dedication and passion for what you are doing.

The torch relay is an excellent embodiment of all that the Olympic Games have come to symbolise - a celebration of the human spirit. Personally to me, it represents striving to be the best in whatever we do, never giving up despite the odds, and a commitment to health and fitness.

I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top in my class in school, and I got admission in other colleges, but I really wanted to study in St. Xavier's.

If I go to a match it doesn't mean I want to buy the stadium or the club.

We are not in the business of iron ore. Whatever captive iron ore sources we have, we use it to make steel.

Hard work certainly goes a long way. These days a lot of people work hard, so you have to make sure you work even harder and really dedicate yourself to what you are doing and setting out to achieve.