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
110

quotes in library

Quotes by Swami Vivekananda

110 quotes
Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.
educationComplete Works
Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal.
divinity-withinRaja Yoga
Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy — by one, or more, or all of these — and be free. This is the whole of religion.
religionRaja Yoga
Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
essenceRaja Yoga
The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.
strengthKarma Yoga
Watch every thought that comes into your mind, weigh it, and then form your conclusions and your actions.
mindComplete Works
Talk to yourself once a day, otherwise you may miss meeting an excellent person in this world.
selfInspired Talks
If superstition enters, the brain is gone.
wisdomComplete Works
The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.
strengthLectures
Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead; if you lose, you can guide.
courageLetters
Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.
mindLectures
Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
compassionKarma Yoga
It is our own mental attitude which makes the world what it is for us.
mindKarma Yoga
The misery that I suffer is more or less my own work.
responsibilityKarma Yoga
Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. The moment you fear, you are nobody.
fearlessnessLetters
All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction.
loveKarma Yoga
We must have life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.
characterLectures
Three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great: conviction of the powers of goodness; absence of jealousy and suspicion; helping all who are trying to be and do good.
characterLectures
The mind is everything. What you think, you become.
consciousnessComplete Works
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