Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Swami Vivekananda

Quote by Swami Vivekananda

Work

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

This book includes a wide range of Swami Vivekananda's teachings on spirituality, philosophy, and social issues, offering insights into his thoughts on various aspects of life and the human condition. more

Author

Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda

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. more

You May Also Like

“Life is called Samsara - it is the result of the conflicting forces acting upon us. Materialism says, "The voice of freedom is a delusion." Idealism says, "The voice that tells of bondage is but a dream." Vedanta says, "We are free and not free at the same time." That means that we are never free on the earthly plane, but ever free on the spiritual side. The Self is beyond both freedom and bondage. We are Brahman, we are immortal knowledge beyond the senses, we are Bliss Absolute.”

MeanSelfDreamSpiritualLife IsForceSidesVoiceResultsActingAbsolutesSensesPlanesBlissDelusionImmortalMaterialismIdealismBondageVedantaBrahmanSamsara
Book:Complete Works
Create image

“Man stands in materialism; you and I are materialists. Our talking about God and Spirit is good; but it is simply the vogue in our society to talk thus: we have learnt it parrot-like and repeat it. So we have to take ourselves where we are as materialists, and must take the help of matter and go on slowly until we become real spiritualists, and feel ourselves spirits, understand the spirit, and find that this world which we call the infinite is but a gross external form of that world which is behind.”

MenWorldFeelsRealMatterHelpingFormSpiritBehindsTalkingThis WorldGoes OnInfiniteRepeatsOur SocietyMaterialismGrossVogueParrots
Book:Complete Works
Create image

“Materialism has come to the rescue of India in a certain sense by throwing open the doors of life to everyone, by destroying the exclusive privileges of caste, by opening up to discussion the inestimable treasures which were hidden away in the hands of a very few who have even lost the use of them. Half has been stolen and lost; and the other half which remains is in the hands of men who, like dogs in the manger, do not eat themselves and will not allow others to do so.”

MenHas BeensUseHandsCertainLostHalfDoorsDogIndiaRemainsPrivilegeTreasureOpeningDiscussionMaterialismThrowingDestroyingRescueStolenExclusiveOther HalfOpening UpCastes
Author:Swami Vivekananda
Create image

“Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts. It is not in the showy evolutions of buildings, but in the multiplicity of human habitations which are crowded together, that the wonderful immensity of London consists.”

IfsHumansLittlesTogetherWishCitiesWonderfulSeeingStreetsBuildingEvolutionCourtNotionLondonSatisfiedSquaresCrowdedLanesMagnitudeSurveysMultiplicityImmensityShowy
Book:The table talk of Samuel Johnson
Create image