There is one thing to be remembered: that the assertion ‘I am God’ cannot be made with regard to the sense-world.
Calm and silent and steady work, and no newspaper humbug, no name-making, you must always remember.
Know that every time you feel weak, you not only hurt yourself but also the cause. Infinite faith and strength are the only conditions of success.
Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.
Not believing in the glory of our own soul is what the Vedanta calls atheism.
I want each one of my children to be a hundred times greater than I could ever be. Everyone of you must be a giant- must, that is my word. Obedience, readiness, and love for the cause- if you have these three, nothing can hold you back.
Take courage and work on. Patience and steady work- this is the only way.
The remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength.
Perfect sincerity, holiness, gigantic intellect, and all-conquering will. Let only a handful of men work with these, and the whole world will be revolutionized.
When we let loose our feelings, we waste so much energy, shatter our nerves, disturb our minds, and accomplish very little work.
Nature, body, mind go to death, not we. We neither go nor come. The man Vivekananda is in nature, is born and dies. But the Self we see as Vivekananda is never born and never dies. It is the eternal and unchangeable Reality.
The varieties of religious belief are an advantage, since all faiths are good, so far as they encourage us to lead a religious life. The more sects there are, the more opportunities there are for making a successful appeal to the divine instinct in all of us.
Persevere on, my brave lads, We have only just begun. Never despond! Never say enough!
Above all, India is the land of religion.
Each nation has its own peculiar method of work. Some work through politics, some through social reforms, some through other lines. With us, religion is the only ground along which we can move.
Each nation has a theme: everything else is secondary. India’s theme is religion.
Here in this blessed land, the foundation, the backbone, the life-centre is religion and religion alone.
I have come to this conclusion that there is only one country in the world which understands religion – it is India.
In India, religious life forms the centre, the keynote of the whole music of national life.
It is clear to us that, for good or for evil, our vitality is concentrated in our religion. You cannot change it. You cannot destroy it and put in its place another.