"I am the thread that runs through all these pearls," and each pearl is a religion or even a sect thereof. Such are the different pearls, and God is the thread that runs through all of them; most people, however, are entirely unconscious of it. Swami Vivekananda
Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore, make your own future. Swami Vivekananda
It is the patient building of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity. Swami Vivekananda
If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon masses of ignorance, it is the word “fearlessness.” Swami Vivekananda
Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.” Tell this to everyone—“Have no fear.” Swami Vivekananda
The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration. Swami Vivekananda
Work and worship are necessary to take away the veil, to lift off the bondage and illusion. Swami Vivekananda
The powers of the mind should be concentrated and the mind turned back upon itself; as the darkest places reveal their secrets before the penetrating rays of the sun, so will the concentrated mind penetrate its own innermost secrets. Swami Vivekananda
It is the cheerful mind that is persevering. It is the strong mind that hews its way through a thousand difficulties. Swami Vivekananda
The mind is but the subtle part of the body. You must retain great strength in your mind and words. Swami Vivekananda
All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind. Swami Vivekananda
Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. Swami Vivekananda
However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is never injured. We are that Infinite.
Perfection is always infinite. We are the Infinite already. You and I, and all beings, are trying to manifest that infinity. Swami Vivekananda
Blows are what awaken us and help to break the dream. They show us the insufficiency of this world and make us long to escape, to have freedom. Swami Vivekananda
So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannot have any desire. Swami Vivekananda
The more you think of yourself as shining immortal spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free of matter, body, and senses. This is the intense desire to be free. Swami Vivekananda
The Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this little universe—the body—is the soul. Swami Vivekananda
As body, mind, or soul, you are a dream; you really are Being, Consciousness, Bliss (satchidananda). You are the God of this universe. Swami Vivekananda
The essence of Vedanta is that there is but one Being and that every soul is that Being in full, not a part of that Being. Swami Vivekananda
As soon as I think that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate. Swami Vivekananda
Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Swami Vivekananda
If superstition enters, the brain is gone. Swami Vivekananda
Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse. Swami Vivekananda
