Claim that 'Nation is bigger than any other aspect in my country' is attributed to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The claim 'Nation is bigger than any other aspect in my country' is attributed to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in several social media posts (References 1 and 2).

However, a more formal publication from India Today (Reference 3) quotes him saying 'Nation more important than any individual, party or religion'. This suggests that while the sentiment of the claim is aligned with Kalam's views, the exact phrasing might be a simplification or paraphrase found on social media.

Academic sources (References 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12) discuss nationalism and national identity, with some indicating that national values and interests can be prioritized over other aspects, supporting the general idea behind the claim. Reference 6 even discusses the potential for national loyalties to be indispensable in times of crisis, and that obligations to the nation can be different from, though not always weaker than, obligations to family or friendship.

Reference 4 states that 'nation-related values and interests have priority over all others'. Therefore, the claim is partially true as the sentiment is attributed to Kalam and supported by broader concepts of nationalism, but the exact wording is not definitively confirmed from a primary source attributed to him. [1][2][3]