“Challenging, exciting and educative,” is how Nazareth summed up his career in an interview to IANS as his autobiography, “A Ringside Seat To History” (Konark) hit the stands to carry forward the insights he gained while in service and in the 25 years since his retirement in promoting Gandhian ideals, promoting peace with Pakistan and lecturing on board cruise liners. “I would sum up my IFS career in just three words: challenging, exciting and educative. I use the last word because I learnt many vital maxims during my 35 years in it,” Nazareth said.

For instance:

“Never hitch your wagon to a political star and always be an upright, intrepid and thoroughly professional IFS officer” - High Commissioner to Britain B.K. Nehru.

“In a crisis, what is most needed are cool heads and not cold feet”—Foreign Secretary T.N. Kaul.

“Diplomats are essentially peace makers for It is when they fail that the Generals are called in”—P.K. Banerjee, Charge d’Affaires in Peking during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict and later India’s Permanent Representative in Geneva.

“Culture is a potent arm of diplomacy... In the sphere of culture India is the super power,” Foreign Secretary M.K. Rasgotra.