Swami Vivekananda

The Indian mind is first religious, then anything else. So this is to be strengthened.

Religion is the peculiarity of the growth of the Indian mind.

Religion for a long time has come to be static in India. What we want is to make it dynamic. I want it to be brought into the life of everybody.

Religion and religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes India will die, in spite of politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of Kubera's wealth poured upon the head of every one of her children.

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.

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.

Each nation has a theme: everything else is secondary. India's theme is religion.

Go on bravely. Do not expect success in a day or a year. Always hold on to the highest. Be steady. Avoid jealousy and selfishness. Be obedient and eternally faithful to the cause of truth, humanity, and your country, and you will move the world.

Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advance we must have faith in ourselves first and then in God. Those who have no faith in themselves can never have faith in God.

Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die.

Do not wait for anybody or anything. Do whatever you can. Build your hope on none.

Oh, if only you knew yourselves! You are souls; you are Gods. If ever I feel like blaspheming, it is when I call you man.

If you can think that infinite power, infinite knowledge and indomitable energy lie within you, and if you can bring out that power, you also can become like me.

Man never dies, nor is he ever born; bodies die, but he never dies.

The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material condition and feel our divine nature.

Life without death and happiness without misery are contradiction and neither can be found alone, because each of them is a different manifestation of the same thing.

Happiness presents itself to man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head. He who welcomes it must also welcome sorrow.

When I see an object there is no will; when its sensations are carried to the brain, there comes the reaction, which says "Do this", or "Do not do this", and this state of the ego-substance is what is called will

Truth will never come into our minds so long as there will remain the faintest shadow of Ahamkâra (egotism). All of you should try to root out this devil from your heart. Complete self-surrender is the only way to spiritual illumination.

There is no good in store so long as malice and jealousy and egotism will prevail.