
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“You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of the Gita.”
embodimentLectures
“Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you — but do not think of that now.”
selflessnessKarma Yoga
“The fool will have his rebirth; the wise will not.”
wisdomInspired Talks
“Pleasure is not the goal of man, but knowledge.”
purposeKarma Yoga
“Every action that helps us to manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.”
ethicsKarma Yoga
“The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.”
strengthKarma Yoga
“It is the patient building of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity.”
characterLectures
“What we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves.”
selfKarma Yoga
“Idleness is the greatest evil; do not yield to it.”
disciplineLetters
“Holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character.”
unityChicago Address
“Every action that helps us to manifest our divine nature more and more is good.”
ethicsKarma Yoga
“All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak.”
powerLectures
“Do not figure out big plans at first, but start slowly, feel the ground and proceed.”
wisdomLetters
“We may go through millions of books, but we cannot understand a word of religion or of God unless we attain spiritual realization.”
realizationBhakti Yoga
“Talk to yourself at least once a day. Otherwise, you may miss meeting an excellent person in this world.”
selfLetters
“Stand up and die game! Do not weep. Trust the Lord and work; that is all.”
courageLetters
“The greatest help one can give a man is to teach him to walk on his own legs.”
self-relianceLectures
“If a building is to last, every brick must be put rightly in its proper place.”
patienceLetters
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”
focusComplete Works
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