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Swami Vivekananda Quotes

The absurd denial of the truth in natural in man. Man does not want to be, but appear to be. He does not want to see what he is, but tries only to see himself as the person other people take him for, when they talk about him.

The only religion that ought to be taught is the religion of fearlessness.

Fear is man’s greatest enemy, and it manifests itself in forms as diverse as shame, jealousy, anger, insolence, arrogance… What causes fear? Lack of confidence in oneself.

Fear is one of the greatest problems in life. A mind that is caught in fear lives in confusion, in conflict, and therefore must be violent, distorted and aggressive.

When a man begins to have a vision larger than this own truth, when he realizes that it is much larger than it at first seemed, he begins to become conscious of his moral nature. His perspective on life necessarily changes, and his will takes the place of his desires. So comes about the conflict between our inferior self and our superior self, between our desires and our will, between our greed for objects that appeal to our senses and the purpose that comes from the bottom of our heart.

What we are about to undertake is an expedition together, a journey of discovery into the most secret recesses of our consciousness. And for such an adventure we must travel light, we cannot burden ourselves with opinions, prejudices, conclusions that is, with all the baggage that we have collected over the past two thousand years or more. Forget everything you know about yourself; forget everything that you have thought about yourself; we are going to set off as if we know nothing.

The only way to achieve consciousness is by concentrating on the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Concentration on the powers of the spirit to discover unity in diversity is called consciousness. All that draws on unity is moral; all that draws on diversity is immoral.

Yoga is concerned with freedom from spiritual disturbance. The first step in yoga is to engage in introspection, and thereby understand the inner obstacles that must be overcome. The purpose of yoga is to weaken the hindrances which obstruct knowledge of the soul. There are fie hindrances: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and tenacity

The whole universe is bound by the law of causation. There cannot be anything, any fact – either in the internal or in the external world – that does not have a cause; and every cause must produce an effect.

I am imperfect and want to be perfect – this alone is the starting point of my nonviolence. The imperfect will turn perfect when it ceases to be and what is not comes into being.

I am myself. The other is simply something else. I am what I am. If I am a demon, very well then I am a demon. That is all.

To know our soul apart from our ego is the first step toward accomplishing the supreme deliverance. It is necessary that we known with absolute certainty that in essence we are spirit. And we can only arrive at this knowledge if we render ourselves masters of our ego, if we rise above all pride, all appetite, all fear, by knowing that material losses and the death of the body can never take away the truth and the greatness of our soul.

There is no master, there is no instructor, there is no person to tell you what you must do.

Does distress and despair, melancholy, and madness come from God? Does pleasure and prosperity, joy, and reason come from God? Was the human form, in all its beauty, designed by God? Does God give each person a distinct character and appearance? Does God give men and women the ability to think? Does God give human beings the urge to worship? Does God plant the notions of truth and untruth in the human mind? Does God decide when human beings should die? Does God offer the hope of immortality?

When you believe that the truth is living, moving, that it does not have one home or rest in any temple, mosque, or church, in any religion, master or philosopher – in short, that nothing can lead you to it – you will see also that you are this living thing in every respect; it is your anger, your brutality, your violence, your despair. It is the agony and the pain that you live through. The truth is in the comprehension of all of this, you cannot comprehend it unless you are determined to see it in your life.

When you look at that unchanging Existence from the outside, you call it God; and when you look at it from the inside, you call it yourself. It is but one.

Where does the soul go after death? Where could the earth fall to? Where can the soul go? Where is it not already? The great cornerstone of Vedantism is the recognition of Self. Man, have faith in yourself. The soul is the same in every one. It is all purity and perfection and the more pure and perfect we [you] are the more purity and perfection you will see.

Even at the gate of death, in the greatest danger, in the thick of the battlefield, at the bottom of the ocean, on the tops of the highest mountains, in the thickest of the forest, tell yourself, “I am He, I am He”.

The universal power that manifests itself in the universal law is at one with our true power.

Never say, O Lord, I am a miserable sinner. Who will help you? It is you who must help the universe.

When a man possesses in his being the notion of God, that is the miracle of miracles.

What then do I mean by the ideal of a universal religion? I do not mean a universal philosophy, or a universal mythology, or a universal ritual, but I mean that this world must go on, wheel within wheel. What can we do? We can make it run smoothly, we can lessen friction, we can grease the wheels, as it were. By what? By recognizing variation. Just as we have recognized unity, by our very nature so we must also recognize variation. We must learn that truth may be expressed in a thousand ways, and each one yet be true. We must learn that the same thing can be viewed from a hundred different standpoints, and yet be the same thing.

I make no distinction between one religion and another. People may worship me in any form they wish. The form of worship does not matter to me; my only concern is the quality of love which is expressed in worship. I accept every kind of worship, because I am supreme.

I often ask myself at what point can a man and a beast that cannot talk recognize each other. From the early paradise, at the dawn of creation, runs the path where their hearts meet. Although their connection has long been forgotten, traces of their continuing association has not been erased. And, suddenly, in a wordless harmony, a dim memory awakens and the beast looks on the face of the man with tender trust and the man casts his eyes upon the beast with an amused tenderness. It is as if two friends, both wearing masks, meet and vaguely recognize each other through their disguises.

True civilization does not mean congregating in cities and living a foolish life, but going Godward, controlling the senses, and thus becoming the ruler in the house of the Self.

A civilization must be judged and assessed, not by the level of power it has reached, but by how it develops and expresses a love of humanity through its laws and institutions. The first and last criterion one must submit to is: Is it recognizable, and to what level, that man is more a spirit than a machine?

If you see God within every man and woman, then you can never do harm to any man or woman. If you see god in yourself, then you attain perfection.

The whole universe is to us a writing of the Infinite in the language of the finite.

There is one God and He is the enemy of no one.

When water joins with water, it is not a meeting but a unification.

Truth is that which one wishes in its totality. Have you reached it?

Amidst this chaos there is harmony, throughout these discordant sounds there is a note of concord; and he who is prepared to listen to it will catch the tone.

We encounter this surprising paradox between us: the Whole appears as a multitude, the appearance is opposite to the truth, and yet it is inseparably linked.

There is no master, there is no instructor, there is no person to tell you what you must do.

When you look at that unchanging Existence from the outside, you call it God; and when you look at it from the inside, you call it yourself. It is but one.

The universal power that manifests itself in the universal law is at one with our true power.

Never say, O Lord, I am a miserable sinner. Who will help you? It is you who must help the universe.

When a man possesses in his being the notion of God, tha

A diamond is lost in the mud; all are seeking it. Some go to the East – or to the West, wishing to find it. Is it lost in the river? Or in the rocks? Kabir, your servant, appreciates it for its just value. He will take it away, warmly sheltered in a corner of his heart.

Ever tell yourself, I am He. These are words that will burn up the dross that is in the mind, words that will bring out the tremendous energy which is within you already, the infinite power which is sleeping in your heart.

Wise people are concerned only with what lies behind all these things. Just as bees fly from one blossom to another, looking only for the essence of each one, wise people look only for the essence of very person they meet. Wise people, who know and understand the soul, are indifferent to both pleasure and pain, they have risen above sensations. They are indifferent to the past and the future; they have risen above time. They are indifferent to danger; they have risen above fear. Wise people know that what is here, is also there; that what was, will also be. They see unity, not division.

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Swami Vivekananda Quotes