Quotations of Swami Vivekananda

Intro : An Indian monk, the chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna.He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world...

• "Now is wanted intense Karma-Yoga with unbounded courage and indomitable strength in the heart. Then only will the people of the country be roused."
• "The help which tends to make us spiritually strong is the highest help, next to it comes intellectual help and after that comes physical help."
• "Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth."
• "When you step beyond thought and intellect and all reasoning, then you have made the first step towards God; and that is the beginning of life."
• "Uniformity is the rigorous law of nature; what once happened can happen always."
• "Freedom is never to be reached by the weak. Throw away all weakness. Tell your body that it is strong, tell your mind that it is strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself."
• "Freedom is the first condition of growth. What you do not make free, will never grow."
• "Stand up, be bold, be strong ! Know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succour you want is within yourself."
• “Man is to become divine by realizing the divine. Idols or temples, or churches or books, are only the supports, the help of his spiritual childhood.”
• “Practise hard; whether you live or die does not matter. You have to plunge in and work, without thinking of the result.”
• “He who knows that he is free is free; he who knows that he is bound is bound. What is the end and aim of life? None, because I know that I am the Infinite.”
• “Practise hard; whether you live or die does not matter. You have to plunge in and work, without thinking of the result.”
• “Religion is being and becoming. Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man.”
• “One infinite - pure and holy - beyond thoughts and beyond qualities - bow down to thee.”
• “Stand alone! See the glory of your own soul, and see that you will have to work.”
• "Experience is the only teacher we have. we may talk and reason all our lives, but we shall not understand a word of truth."
• “So even though all the senses bring in sensations from nature, the ocean-like heart of the sage knows no disturbance, knows no fear.”
• "Though this body has its beginning and end, the dweller in the body is infinite and without end”
• “It is nature that is driving us towards perfection, and eventually she will bring everyone there.”
• “The body is made by the thought that lies behind it. The body politic is thus the expression of national thought.”
• “The only way to rise is by doing the duty next to us, and thus gathering strength go on until we reach the highest state.”
• “The highest manifestation of strength is to keep ourselves calm and on our own feet.”
• “It is our privilege to be allowed to be charitable, for only so can we grow. The poor man suffers that we may be helped; let the giver kneel down and give thanks, let the receiver stand up and permit.”
• “First hear, then understand, and then, leaving all distractions, shut your minds to outside influences, and devote yourselves to developing the truth within you”
• “Even by intellectually recognising the difficulties, we really do not know them until we feel them.”
• “You may sit down and listen to me by the hour every day, but if you do not practice, you will not get one step further. It all depends on practice.”
• “The powers of the mind are like rays of light dissipated; when they are concentrated, they illumine.”
• “When you step beyond thought and intellect and all reasoning, then you have made the first step towards God; and that is the beginning of life.”
• “When you have trained your mind and your nerves to realise this idea of the world”s nondependence on you or on anybody, there will then be no reaction in the form of pain resulting from work.”
• “The organs are the horses, the mind is the rein, the intellect is the charioteer, the soul is the rider, and the body is the chariot. The master of the household, the King, the Self of man, is sitting in this chariot.”
• “He who knows that he is free is free; he who knows that he is bound is bound. What is the end and aim of life? None, because I know that I am the Infinite.”
• “That which is true must be infinite and eternal. That is the one test of truth. It never decays, it is always the same.”
• “Have faith in yourselves, great convictions are the mothers of great deeds.”
• “Character is repeated habits, and repeated habits alone can reform character.”
• “No great things were ever done without great labour"
• “Do not be anxious, do not be in a hurry. Slow, persistent and silent work does everything.”
• “Self- sacrifice, indeed, is the basis of all civilization.”
• "Work hard. Be holy and pure, and the fire will come.”
• “The personality of the man is two-thirds, and his intellect, his words, are but one-third. It is the real man, the personality of the man, that runs through us.”
• "To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. “I will drink the ocean,” says the persevering soul, “at my will mountains will crumble up.” Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal.”