1,842 Quotes by Swami Vivekananda

Everything that occupies space has form. The formless can only be infinite.

And what causes fear? Ignorance of our own nature.

Thought ceases in meditation; even the mind's elements are quite quiet. Blood circulation stops. His breath stops, but he is not dead.

Worship of society and popular opinion is idolatry.

Our supreme duty is to advance toward freedom-physical, mental, and spiritual-and help others to do so.

Matter is motion outside, mind is motion inside.

Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.

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....

[Not parroting.] My old Master used to say, "It is all very good to teach the parrot to say, 'Lord, Lord, Lord' all the time; but let the cat come and take hold of its neck, it forgets all about it" [You may] pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are, [but] unless you realise the soul there is no freedom. Not talking, theorising, argumentation, but realisation. That I call practical religion.