Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Man stands in materialism; you and I are materialists. Our talking about God and Spirit is good; but it is simply the vogue in our society to talk thus: we have learnt it parrot-like and repeat it.

To believe that mind is all, that thought is all is only a higher materialism.

The Vedanta teaches men to have faith in themselves first.

Charity never faileth.

Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.

Man has wanted to look beyond, wanted to expand himself; and all that we call progress, evolution, has been always measured by that one search, the search for human destiny, the search for God.

Business is business, that is, you must do everything promptly; delay and shuffling won't do.

Chârvâkas, a very ancient sect in India, were rank materialists.

It is only by doing good to others that one attains to one's own good

Are you unselfish? That is the question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religious book, without going into a single church or temple.

Cowards only sin, brave men never, no, not even in mind.

The idea of God grew side by side with the idea of materialism.

Give love, give help, give service, and give any little thing you can, but keep out barter.

Renunciation, and renunciation alone, is the real secret, the Mulamantra, of all Realisation.

Renunciation is always the ideal of every race; only other races do not know what they are made to do by nature unconsciously.

Renunciation is in our blood.

This is the great lesson that we are here to learn through myriads of births and heavens and hells - that there is nothing to be asked for, desired for, beyond one's spiritual Self (atman).

Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it were after his or her heart. But the intelligent ones are those who can convert every work into one that suits their taste.

Bullies are always cowards.

In all our Yogas this renunciation is necessary. This is the stepping-stone and the real centre and the real heart of all spiritual culture - renunciation. This is religion - renunciation.

Infinite strength is religion and God.

Know that the mind which is born to succeed joins itself to a determined will and perseveres.

One thing I must tell you. Idolatry in India does not mean anything horrible. It is not the mother of harlots.

No freedom without renunciation.

Renunciation is of the mind.

There is no end to renunciation.

Each soul is a star and all stars are set in the infinite azure, the eternal sky-the Lord.

Our supreme duty is to advance toward freedom - physical, mental, and spiritual - and help others to do so.

The past was great no doubt, but I sincerely believe that the future will be more glorious still.

The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.

All the work you do, is done for your own salvation, is done for your own benefit.

Persevere on, my brave lads, We have only just begun. Never despond! Never say enough!

All practice or worship is only for taking off this veil. When that will go, you will find that the Sun of Absolute Knowledge is shining in Its own lustre.

Religion is realization; not talk, nor doctrine, nor theories however beautiful they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing, or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming what it believes.

Man always is perfect, or he never could become so; but he had to realise it.

There may be a million microbes of misery floating about us. Never mind! They dare not approach us, they have no power to get a hold on us, until the mind is weakened.

The day, man will find that he never really dies; that his Soul persists beyond death; he will have no more fear of death.

Real love is love for love's sake. I do not ask health or money or life or salvation.

My children, the secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice.

There is no end to the power a man can obtain.

For one thing we may be grateful: this life is not eternal.

May the shadow of the Almighty ever rest on all those you love.

Neither object nor time off, put up with what comes.

Om is the greatest, meaning the Absolute.

We are for ever trying to make our weakness look like strength, our sentiment like love, our cowardice like courage, and so on.

The attempt to remove evil from the world by killing a thousand evil - doers, only adds to the evil in the world.

These births and deaths are changes in nature which we are mistaking for changes in us.

Be not in despair, the way is very difficult, like walking on the edge of a razor; yet despair not, arise, awake, and find the ideal, the goal.

What is this universe but name and form?

The will is stronger than anything else. Everything must go down before the will, for it comes from God. A pure and strong will is omnipotent.