“It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around. You don’t have to break the laws of the land to do that.” — Narayana Murthyco-founder of Infosys
LiveMint Quote of the Day by Narayana Murthy, Co-Founder of Infosys, is a cornerstone of corporate governance and professional ethics. It focuses on the relationship between credibility, performance and integrity.
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What does the quote mean?
At the core of the quote is managing expectations; underpromise and deliver the “Surprise and Delight” model. When you set a realistic or slightly conservative goal and then exceed it, you create a “positive delta” in the mind of your stakeholders. You will build a reputation for reliability and high performance.
However, over-promising and under-delivering is the fastest way to destroy trust. Even if you work incredibly hard, failing to meet the high bar they set for yourself will make you look incompetent or dishonest.
The second part of the quote – “There is no need to break the laws of the land” – emphasizes that perfection can be achieved through discipline and hard work. You don’t have to cut corners, lie to clients, or circumvent regulations to “beat the numbers.”
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How does it help young professionals?
For those early in their careers, this philosophy works as a blueprint for building a “professional brand.”
In a rapidly changing work environment, managers value predictability. If you consistently meet or exceed deadlines, you will become the critical reviewer for projects. You are not only seen as someone who works hard; you are seen as someone whose word is gold.
Young professionals often feel the need to say “Yes” to every request or promise 24-hour turnaround to impress their bosses. However, Murthy advises that instead of saying “I’ll have it by EOD” and missing it, say “I can get it to you by noon tomorrow.” If you deliver it via EOD today, you have successfully exceeded delivery.
Shortcuts, part of the “breaking the law” quote, may provide a temporary boost to performance indicators, but create “career debt.” Whether it’s misrepresenting data in a report or exaggerating project results, these lapses will eventually catch up.
Murthy argues that sustainable success is built on legal and ethical compliance.
This quote is basically a lesson in communication. It teaches you to analyze your capacity before you commit and to communicate risks early and keep a “buffer” for unforeseen challenges.
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The risk of over-promising
While this strategy is powerful, it has a modern caveat: Don’t promise so much that you look uninspired.
If you promise the bare minimum in a competitive environment, you may be perceived as lacking ambition. The goal is to promise “high-quality realism” and then deliver “exceptional excellence.”
Perfection is not an act of rebellion against the rules; it is the result of mastering the rules while managing the perception of the people around you.
Where does the quote come from?
This quote is a core part of Narayan Murthy’s “Infosys Value System” developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The quote is prominently cited in the book Entrepreneur of the New Millennium: NR Narayana Murthy (2003), which documents the principles that led to Infosys’ rapid global expansion.
He used this phrase often in the late 1990s when he argued why Infosys was “boring” but “reliable”. During the dot-com bubble, while other tech companies made wild promises of growth, Murthy insisted on the discipline of under-promising.
The second part of the quote (“…this may not violate the law of the land”) was his direct response to the “license raj” era in India and global accounting scandals (like Enron) in the early 2000s. He wanted to prove that an Indian company could be globally successful and still be 100% legally compliant.
Who is Narayana Murthy?
NR Narayana Murthy is the co-founder and former chairman of Infosys, one of India’s largest multinational IT services companies. He is widely regarded as the “father of the Indian IT sector” for his role in putting India on the global map for software outsourcing.
Apart from business, Murthy is known for pioneering Corporate Governance in India. He was instrumental in making Infosys the first Indian company listed on NASDAQ (in 1999) and was a vocal advocate of transparency, ethics and “compassionate capitalism”.
He is also the father-in-law of former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
