Swami Vivekananda

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Quotes of Swami Vivekananda

 

* “A tremendous stream is flowing toward the ocean, carrying us

all along with it; and though like straws and scraps of paper we may

at times float aimlessly about, in the long run we are sure to join

the Ocean of Life and Bliss.â€

 

* " I do not want to get material life, do not want the

sense-life, but something higher. " That is renunciation. Then, by the

power of meditation, undo the mischief that has been done. "

 

* " Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything shall be added

unto you. " This is the one great duty, this is renunciation. Live for

an ideal, and leave no place in the mind for anything else. Let us put

forth all our energies to acquire that which never fails--our

spiritual perfection. If we have true yearning for realization, we

must struggle, and through struggle growth will come. We shall make

mistakes, but they may be angels unawares. "

 

* “All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I.

The gulf between God and human beings is thus bridged. Thus we find

how, by knowing God, we find the kingdom of heaven within us.â€

 

* " As long as we believe ourselves to be even the least

different from God, fear remains with us; but when we know ourselves

to be the One, fear goes; of what can we be afraid? As soon as I think

that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep

it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate. "

 

* " Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds. This

life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the world?

He is the fountain of all bliss. See for the highest, aim at that

highest, and you shall reach the highest. "

 

* " In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is

impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought

in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us

is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the

mind, nor even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, is infinite. "

 

* " Learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that we are

all one. Throw all other nonsense to the winds. Spit out your actions,

good or bad, and never think of them again. What is done is done.

Throw off superstition. Have no weakness even in the face of death. Be

free. "

 

* " Meditation means the mind is turned back upon itself. The mind

stops all the thought-waves and the world stops. Your consciousness

expands. Every time you meditate you will keep your growth. "

 

* " Realize your true nature. That is all there is to do. Know

yourself as you are†" infinite spirit. That is practical religion.

Everything else is impractical, for everything else will perish. "