Quotes from Swami Vivekananda

The organs are the horses, the mind is the rein, the intellect is the charioteer, the soul is the rider, and the body is the chariot. The master of the household, the King, the Self of man, is sitting in this chariot.

There is nothing holier in the world than to keep good company, because the good impressions will then tend to come to the surface.

we have to bear the result of our own actions because we attach ourselves to them. ...

Kindness and love can buy you the whole world; lectures and books and philosophy all stand lower than these.

If the subject is a good one, we shall feel friendly towards it; if the subject of thought is one that is miserable, we must be merciful towards it. If it is good, we must be glad; if it is evil, we must be indifferent.

There are thousands of folklore, but in every case the sacrifice must have been kept up.

It is good to love God for hope of reward in this or the next world, but it is better to love God for love's sake, and the prayer goes: "Lord, I do not want wealth, nor children, nor learning. If it be Thy will, I shall go from birth to birth, but grant me this, that I may love Thee without the hope of reward — love unselfishly for love's sake.

infinite faith and strength are the only conditions of success.

All this bringing of the mind into a higher state of vibration is included in one word in Yoga — Samadhi.

The Upanishads point out that the goal of man is neither misery nor happiness, but we have to be master of that out of which these are manufactured. We must be masters of the situation at its very root, as it were.

He who in the midst of intense activity finds himself in the greatest calmness, and in the greatest peace finds intense activity, that is the greatest [Yogi as well as the wisest man]" (note 2).

struggle is the life of sucess

The great men think, and you and I [also] think. But there is a difference.

We think and our bodies do not follow. Our actions do not harmonise with our thoughts.

Our words have not the power of the words that become Vedas.

This human body is the greatest body in the universe, and a human being the greatest being. Man is higher than all animals, than all angels; none is greater than man. Even the Devas (gods) will have to come down again and attain to salvation through a human body. Man alone attains to perfection, not even the Devas.

Think of the lotus of the heart, with petals downwards, and running through it, the Sushumna; take in the breath, and while throwing the breath out imagine that the lotus is turned with the petals upwards, and inside that lotus is an effulgent light. Meditate on that.

Animals cannot have any high thoughts; nor can the Angels or Devas attain to direct freedom without human birth.

The highest manifestation of strength is to keep ourselves calm and on our own feet.

A man is said to be [illumined] if his will has become firm, if his mind is not disturbed by misery, if he does not desire any happiness, if he is free of all [attachment], of all fear, of all anger

Where it is dark night for the [sense-bound] world, the self controlled [man] is awake.

It is daylight for him. ...

We always forget that it is the food out of which we manufacture everything we have. So

The human mind is like that monkey, incessantly active by its own nature; then it becomes drunk with the wine of desire, thus increasing its turbulence. After desire takes possession comes the sting of the scorpion of jealousy at the success of others, and last of all the demon of pride enters the mind, making it think itself of all importance. How hard to control such a mind! (I. 174)