Swami Vivekananda was an influential Indian spiritual leader, philosopher, and social reformer. He is considered one of the key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. Vivekananda’s teachings have had a significant impact on the development of modern Hindu thought and the renaissance of Hinduism in India.
Swami Vivekananda’s birth name was Narendranath Datta, was born on January 12, 1863, in Calcutta, India. He belonged to an affluent Bengali family and was inclined towards spirituality from a young age. Vivekananda became a disciple of the renowned mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and was deeply influenced by his teachings. Under the guidance of Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda experienced profound spiritual experiences and developed a deep understanding of various religious traditions.
Here are 51 famous, inspiring Swami Vivekananda quotes about life, success, spirituality.
Swami Vivekananda Quotes
1. “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”
2. “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”
3. “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”
4. “All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.”
5. “The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.”
6. “Take up an idea, devote yourself to it, struggle on in patience, and the sun will rise for you.”
7. “The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.”
8. “The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified.”
9. “We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”
10. “Stand up, be bold, and take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders.”
11. “Strength is life, weakness is death.”
12. “Do not wait for anybody or anything. Do whatever you can, build your hope on none.”
13. “Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.”
14. “Do not look back upon what has been done. Go ahead!”
15. “Everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is aroused to self-conscious activity.”
16. “Do one thing at a time, and while doing it put your whole soul into it to exclusion of all else.”
17. “Dare to be free, dare to go as far as your thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life.”
18. “Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success and, above all, love.”
19. “Talk to yourself once in a day, otherwise, you may miss meeting an excellent person in this world.”
20. “Take risks in your life, if you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide!”
21. “The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire.”
22. “Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.”
23. “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other taecher but your own soul.”
24. “They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.”
25. “Learn to be your own teacher. Save yourself by yourself.”
26. “In a day, when you don’t come across any problems, you can be sure that you are traveling in a wrong path.”
27. “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.”
28. “When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.”
29. “You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
30. “The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.”
31. “Learn everything that is good from others but bring it in, and in your own way, absorb it; do not become others.”
32. “This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon anyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true.”
33. “Anything that makes you weak, physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison.”
34. “The only way to rise is by doing the duty next to us, and thus gathering strength go on until we reach the highest state.”
35. “Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.”
36. “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal.”
37. “That which tends to increase the strength of the soul, and in which the soul takes delight, is virtue; all that which weakens the soul is sin.”
38. “Be strong! Be fearless! Stand upright and believe in yourself. You are born to conquer, to overcome, and not to be overcome.”
39. “Be a hero. Always say, I have no fear.”
40. “The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation, we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature.”
41. “Do not figure out big plans at first, but begin slowly, feel your ground, and proceed up and up.
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42. “If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished – mountains can be crumbled into atoms.”
43. “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”
44. “Who is helping you, don’t forget them. Who is loving you, don’t hate them. Who is believing you, don’t cheat them.”
45. “All power is within you; you can do anything and everything.”
46. “Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living baing?”
47. “Desire, ignorance, and inequality – this is the trinity of bondage.”
48. “The only bond worth tying and the only one that lasts, is the bond of love.”
49. “Anything that brings spiritual, mental, or physical weakness, touch it not with the toes of your feet.”
50. “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.”
51. “Do not hate anybody, because that hatred which comes out from you must, in the long run, come back to you. If you love, that will come back to you, completing the circle.”
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