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Swami Vivekananda Quotes

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Swami Vivekananda (January 12, 1863 – July 4, 1902) was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, and social reformer. Born as Narendranath Datta in Kolkata, he was a chief disciple of the mystic Ramakrishna. He is best known for his historic speech at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, where he introduced Hinduism to the Western world. He founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897, focusing on social service, education, and interfaith harmony. His teachings emphasized self-realization, service to humanity, and the unity of all religions. He wrote extensively on yoga and Vedanta philosophy, influencing global spirituality and Indian nationalism. He died at the age of 39, leaving a lasting legacy as a bridge between Eastern and Western thought.

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All Men Ifs World Motivational Mind Soul Body Thinking Inspirational Knows

Famous Swami Vivekananda Quotes

“Science, art, learning and metaphysical research all have their proper functions in life, but if you seek to blend them, you destroy their individual characteristics until, in time, you eliminate the spiritual, for instance, from the religious altogether.”

Ifs Art Spiritual Individual Religious Research Function Instance Characteristics Metaphysical

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“The difference between architecture and building is that the former expresses an idea, while the latter is merely a structure built on economical principles. The value of matter depends solely on its capacities of expressing ideas.”

Art Ideas Matter Values Differences Principles Building Depends Built Capacity Structure Architecture Former Latter Expressing Ideas

Book:My Idea of Education

Source: My Idea of Education

“The sculptor, the painter the musician the dancer, or any artist, if he can first obtain celebrate in Paris, acquires very easily the esteem and eulogy of other countries.”

Ifs Firsts Art Country Artist Musician Esteem Painter Celebrate Paris Acquire Dancer Other Countries Eulogy Sculptors

Book:The East and the West: (Prachya o Paschatya)

Source: The East and the West: (Prachya o Paschatya)

“The secret of Greek Art is its imitation of nature even to the minutest details; whereas the secret of Indian Art is to represent the ideal. The energy of the Greek painter is spent in perhaps painting a piece of flesh, and he is so successful that a dog is deluded into taking it to be a real bit of meat and so goes to bite it. Now, what glory is there in merely imitating nature? Why not place an actual bit of flesh before the dog?”

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Each atom is trying to fly off from its centre. In the internal world, each thought is trying to go beyond control. Again each particle in the external world is checked by another force, the centripetal, and drawn towards the centre. Similarly in the thought - world the controlling power is checking all these outgoing desires.”

World Trying Desire Force Internals Atoms Centre Particles Outgoing Controlling Power Beyond Control

Book:Complete Works

Source: Complete Works

“Every atom is trying to go and join itself to the next atom. Atoms after atoms combine, making huge balls, the earths, the suns, the moons, the stars, the planets. They in their turn, are trying to rush towards each other, and at last, we know that the whole universe, mental and material, will be fused into one.”

Knows Trying Whole Earth Lasts Turns Universe Next Stars Sun Planets Materials Huge Moon Balls Atoms

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Every atom is working and resisting every thought in the mind. Everything we see and know is but the resultant of these two forces.”

Knows Mind Two Force Atoms Resisting

Book:The Complete Works of the Swami Vivekananda, Comprising All His Lectures, Addresses and Discourses Delivered in Europe, America and India: All His Writings in Prose and Poetry, Together with Translations of Those Written in Bengali and Sanskrit; Reports of His Interviews and His Replies to the Various Addresses of Welcome; His Sayings and Epistles,--private and Public--original and Translated; with an Index; Carefully Revised & Edited

Source: The Complete Works of the Swami Vivekananda, Comprising All His Lectures, Addresses and Discourses Delivered in Europe, America and India: All His Writings in Prose and Poetry, Together with Translations of Those Written in Bengali and Sanskrit; Reports of His Interviews and His Replies to the Various Addresses of Welcome; His Sayings and Epistles,--private and Public--original and Translated; with an Index; Carefully Revised & Edited