Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

Narendranath Datta

1863-1902 • Indian

HinduismVedanta

Indian Hindu monk who introduced Vedanta and yoga to the Western world. His 1893 Parliament of Religions speech was historic.

Key Works

  • Complete Works
  • Lectures
  • Letters
104

quotes in library

Quotes by Swami Vivekananda

104 quotes
“Until you become god, you cannot worship Him. Anyone who worships him while remaining a man is a hypocrite.”
worshipBhakti Yoga
“If anything makes you weak — turn away from it.”
discernmentLectures
“Everything in this life is fraught with fear. Renunciation alone makes one fearless.”
renunciationLectures
“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”
unityJnana Yoga (citing Gita)
“When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.”
mindRaja Yoga
“The whole life is a succession of dreams. My ambition is to be a conscious dreamer, that is all.”
consciousnessLetters
“If I have done one good thing in my life, I had a thousand failures.”
humilityLetters
“The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful.”
joyLectures
“We are responsible for what we are; and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves.”
responsibilityKarma Yoga
“If we have done good only with the hope of reward, we have done little.”
serviceKarma Yoga
“Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is of the mind.”
freedomJnana Yoga
“He who struggles is better than he who never attempts.”
effortKarma Yoga
“It is good to be born in a temple, but it is bad to die there.”
growthInspired Talks
“Renunciation, Vairagya — that is the watchword.”
renunciationKarma Yoga
“Where there is life, there is death; where there is pleasure, there is pain; where there is light, there is darkness.”
wisdomJnana Yoga
“All differences are due to grades of evolution. Not religion, but realization, is the goal.”
realizationLectures
“Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege.”
serviceKarma Yoga
“If God is not within yourself, then He never was anywhere.”
presenceKarma Yoga
“What our country now wants are muscles of iron and nerves of steel, gigantic wills, which nothing can resist.”
strengthLectures
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