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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 Universe Whole Want Giving Ideas Heart Infinite Form Helping Human Beings

Famous Swami Vivekananda Quotes

“What can be my highest idea of forgiveness? Nothing beyond myself. Which of you can jump out of your own bodies? Which of you can jump out of your own minds? Not one of you.”

Mind Ideas Body Highest Forgiveness

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Spirituality as a science, as a study, is the greatest and healthiest exercise that the human mind can have.”

Mind Humans Inspiration Spirituality Practice Study Meditation Exercise Human Mind

Book:Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

Source: Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

“Hold to the idea, "I am not the mind, I see that I am thinking, I am watching my mind act," and each day the identification of yourself with thoughts and feelings will grow less, until at last you can entirely separate yourself from the mind and actually know it to be apart from yourself.”

Thinking Knows Mind Ideas Feelings Inspiration Lasts Grows Practice Meditation Each Day Identification Thoughts And Feelings

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“The finer the instrument, the greater the power. The mind is much finer and more powerful than the body.”

Mind Body Powerful Power Greater Instruments

Book:The Powers of The Mind

Source: The Powers of The Mind

“If you intend to study the mind, you must have systematic training; you must practice to bring the mind under your control.”

Ifs Mind Practice Study Training Systematic

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Only by practice and non-attachment can we conquer mind.”

Mind Practice Conquer Attachment

Book:Complete Works

Source: Complete Works

“Through faithful practice, layer after layer of the mind opens before us, and each reveals new facts to us.”

Mind Facts Practice Faithful Layers

Book:Complete Works

Source: Complete Works

“The sign of vigour, the sign of life, the sign of hope, the sign of health, the sign of everything that is good, is strength. As long as the body lives, there must be strength in the body, strength in the mind, [and strength] in the hand.”

Mind Long Body Hands Health Strength Of Mind Signs Of Life Body Strength

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Renunciation is of the mind.”

Mind Renunciation

Author:Swami Vivekananda

“If the Absolute becomes limited by the mind, It is no more Absolute; It has become finite.”

Ifs Mind Absolutes Finite

Book:Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

Source: Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

“Ishvara is the highest manifestation of the Absolute Reality, or in other words, the highest possible reading of the Absolute by the human mind. Creation is eternal, and so also is Ishvara.”

Mind Humans Reality Reading Creation Eternal Highest Absolutes Manifestation Human Mind

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Knowledge of the Absolute depends upon no book, nor upon anything; it is absolute in itself. No amount of study will give this knowledge; is not theory, it is realization. Cleanse the dust from the mirror, purify your own mind, and in a flash you know that you are Brahman.”

Knows Giving Mind Book Study Theory Depends Amount Absolutes Mirrors Dust Realization Flash Brahman

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“He in whose mind is no anger, hatred, or envy, who never loses his balance, dies, or is born, who is he but God?”

Mind Dies Born Loses Balance Hatred Anger Envy No Anger

Book:Addresses on Bhakti Yoga: Art of living

Source: Addresses on Bhakti Yoga: Art of living

“The man who gives way to anger, or hatred, or any other passion, cannot work; he only breaks himself to pieces, and does nothing practical. It is the calm, forgiving, equable, well-balanced mind that does the greatest amount of work.”

Men Way Giving Mind Wells Doe Passion Break Pieces He Man Amount Hatred Anger Forgiving Calm Practicals Balanced

Book:Vedanta: Voice of Freedom

Source: Vedanta: Voice of Freedom

“Be moral. Be brave. Be a heart-whole man, strictly moral, brave unto desperation. Don't bother your head with religious theories. Cowards only sin, brave men never, no, not even in mind.”

Men Mind Heart Whole Motivational Religious Sin Moral Theory Brave Bother Coward Desperation Be Brave Brave Man

Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

“Education is not filling the mind with a lot of facts. Perfecting the instrument and getting complete mastery of my own mind [is the ideal of education].”

Mind Facts My Own Ideals Instruments Mastery Filling

Book:My Idea of Education

Source: My Idea of Education

“All work is simply to bring out the power of the mind which is already there, to wake up the soul. The power is inside every man, so is knowing; the different works are like blows to bring them out, to cause these giants to wake up.”

Men Mind Different Soul Causes Knowing Wake Up Blow Every Man Giants Power Of The Mind

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

“This world, this universe which our senses feel, or our mind thinks, is but one atom, so to say, of the Infinite, projected on to the plane of consciousness; and within that narrow limit, defined by the network of consciousness, works our reason, and not beyond. Therefore, there must be some other instrument to take us beyond, and that instrument is called inspiration.”