Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.
Swami VivekanandaRead
Self-sacrifice, not self-assertion, is the law of the highest universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True fulfillment comes from serving others rather than prioritizing oneself.
In this quote, Swami Vivekananda emphasizes the importance of self-sacrifice over self-assertion in achieving a higher understanding of the universe. He suggests that the ultimate truth and the highest moral code are grounded in the willingness to put others' needs above one's own desires, reflecting a deep spiritual principle that connects all beings.
Themes
Self-SacrificeServiceOthersUniversePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about community service.
More from Swami Vivekananda
All quotes →Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great sage Valmiki. No language can be purer, none chaster, none more beautiful, and at the same time simpler, than the language in which the great poet has depicted the life of Rama.
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Swami VivekanandaRead
I have come to deal with principles. I have only to preach that God comes again and again, and that He came in India as Krishna, Rama, and Buddha, and that He will come again. It can almost be demonstrated that after each 500 years the world sinks, and a tremendous spiritual wave comes, and on the top of the wave is a Christ.
Swami VivekanandaRead
Salvation means knowing the truth. We do not become anything; we are what we are. Salvation [comes] by faith and not by work. It is a question of knowledge! You must know what you are, and it is done. The dream vanishes. This you [and others] are dreaming here. When they die, they go to [the] heaven [of their dream]. They live in that dream, and [when it ends], they take a nice body [here], and they are good people.
Swami VivekanandaRead
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