Swami Vivekananda

"This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon anyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true. Get hold of yourself."

"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)."

"This life is a hard fact; work your way through it boldly, though it may be adamantine; no matter, the soul is stronger."

"Those who grumble at the little thing that has fallen to their lot to do will grumble at everything. Always grumbling, they will lead a miserable life, and everything will be a failure. But those who do their duties as they go, putting their shoulders to the wheel, will see the light, and higher duties will fall to their share."

"Those who work at a thing heart and soul not only achieve success in it but through their absorption in that they also realize the supreme truth—Brahman. Those who work at a thing with their whole heart receive help from God."

"To believe blindly is to degenerate the human soul. Be an atheist if you want, but do not believe in anything unquestioningly."

"Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die."

"Understanding human nature is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing it can we know God. It is also a fact that the knowledge of God is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing God can we understand human nature."

"Unselfishness is God."

"Watch people do their most common actions; these are indeed the things that will tell you the real character of a great person."

"We are ever free if we would only believe it, only have faith enough. You are the soul, free and eternal, ever free, ever blessed. Have faith enough and you will be free in a minute."

"We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; the difference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds."

"We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life."

"We have to go back to philosophy to treat things as they are. We are suffering from our own karma. It is not the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else. Why should God be blamed?"

"We must approach religion with reverence and with love, and our heart will stand up and say, this is truth, and this is untruth."

"We must be bright and cheerful. Long faces do not make religion. Religion should be the most joyful thing in the world, because it is the best."

"We must have friendship for all; we must be merciful toward those that are in misery; when people are happy, we ought to be happy; and to the wicked we must be indifferent. These attitudes will make the mind peaceful."

"We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise."

"What do you gain in heaven? You become gods, drink nectar, and get rheumatism. There is less misery there than on earth, but also less truth."

"What the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt."

"When we come to nonattachment, then we can understand the marvelous mystery of the universe: how it is intense activity and at the same time intense peace, how it is work every moment and rest every moment."

"When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw up society and rush off to die in the forest or the cave; we shall remain where we were but we shall understand the whole thing. The same phenomena will remain but with a new meaning."

"When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw up society and rush off to die in the forest or the cave; we shall remain where we were, only we shall understand the whole thing."

"Whenever we attain a higher vision, the lower vision disappears of itself."

"Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves. We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark."

"Why are people so afraid? The answer is that they have made themselves helpless and dependent on others. We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a Personal God, a Savior or a Prophet to do everything for us."

"Woman has suffered for eons, and that has given her infinite patience and infinite perseverance."

"Women will work out their destinies — much better, too, than men can ever do for them. All the mischief to women has come because men undertook to shape the destiny of women."

"Work and worship are necessary to take away the veil, to lift off the bondage and illusion."

"Work on with the intrepidity of a lion but at the same time with the tenderness of a flower."

"Worship of society and popular opinion is idolatry. The soul has no sex, no country, no place, no time."

"Have a kind word for all — it spoils work to show temper. Let people say whatever they like, stick to your own convictions, and rest assured, the world will be at your feet. They say, “Have faith in this fellow or that fellow”, but I say, “Have faith in yourself first”, that’s the way. Have faith in yourself — all power is in you — be conscious and bring it out. Say, “I can do everything.” “Even the poison of a snake is powerless if you can firmly deny it.” Beware! No saying “nay”, no negative thoughts! Say, “Yea, Yea,” “So’ham, So’ham” — “I am He! I am He!”"

"What makes you weep, my friend? In you is all power. Summon up your all-powerful nature, O mighty one, and this whole universe will lie at your feet. It is the Self alone that predominates, and not matter."

"Great undertakings are always fraught with many obstacles. It is these obstacles which knock and shape great characters."

"In every attempt there will be one set of men who will applaud, and another who will pick holes. Go on doing your own work, what need have you to reply to any party?"

"Come up, O lions, and shake off the delusion that you are sheep; you are souls immortal, spirits free, blest and eternal; ye are not matter, ye are not bodies; matter is your servant, not you the servant of matter."

"Vivekananda was a soul of puissance if ever there was one, a very lion among men, but the definite work he has left behind is quite incommensurate with our impression of his creative might and energy. We perceive his influence still working gigantically, we know not well how, we know not well where, in something that is not yet formed, something leonine, grand, intuitive, upheaving that has entered the soul of India and we say, "Behold, Vivekananda still lives in the soul of his Mother and in the souls of her children.""

""What is the use of going to the hills in search of honey if it is available at home?" as a Sanskrit proverb says."

""Es gibt eine Unzahl an Büchern, und die Zeit drängt. Das Geheimnis aller Erkenntnis ist deshalb, das Wesentliche herauszugreifen." – Raja Yoga, Der Pfad der Konzentration Phänomen-Verlag, Konzentration – Ihre Übung, 2007, Seite 104."

""Viele verschiedene Wege führen zum Ziel. Unwissende jedoch versteifen sich auf einen Standpunkt."– Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1963 Band IV, Seite 52, Original Übersetzung von Frank Ziesing, Eine Sammlung von Vivekanandas Aussagen (CC BY 3.0 DE)"

""Meine Pflicht sollte sein, vor dir die Ideale, die ich kenne, auszubreiten und es dir zu ermöglichen, für deine Wesensnatur das Beste herauszufinden."– Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1963 Band IV, Seite 56, Original Übersetzung von Frank Ziesing, Eine Sammlung von Vivekanandas Aussagen (CC BY 3.0 DE)"

""Alle Versuche, Menschen durch Armeen, Gewalt oder Argumente zusammenzupferchen, sie unterschiedslos in dieselbe Einfriedung zu treiben und zu zwingen, denselben Gott zu verehren, sind fehlgeschlagen und werden immer fehlschlagen, weil es gemäß der menschlichen Beschaffenheit unmöglich ist."– Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1963 Band IV, Seite 54, Original Übersetzung von Frank Ziesing, Eine Sammlung von Vivekanandas Aussagen (CC BY 3.0 DE)"

""Religion besteht nur zwischen dir und deinem Gott; keine dritte Person darf zwischen euch kommen."– Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1963 Band I, Seite 474, Original Übersetzung von Frank Ziesing, Eine Sammlung von Vivekanandas Aussagen (CC BY 3.0 DE)"

""Die Denker früherer Zeiten entdeckten, dass je weiter sie vom Mittelpunkt entfernt waren, desto zahlreicher die Verschiedenheit und Unterschiedlichkeiten auftraten, und je mehr sie sich diesem Punkt näherten, desto näher waren sie der Einheit."– Jnana-Yoga, Hermann Bauer Verlag, Der Pfad der Erkenntnis, Erster Band, Kapitel: Verwirklichung, Seite: 177-178, 1977 p.85 books.google"

""Die Ursache für all das Elend, das wir in der Welt haben, ist, dass die Menschen törichterweise denken, Vergnügen sei das Ideal, nach dem man streben sollte."– Meine Botschaft an das Abendland, Continentia Verlag, Kapitel: Das Ziel des Menschen, Seite: 191, 2022 p.191 books.google"