101 Inspiring And Motivational Quotes Of Swami Vivekananda

In this article you’ll find 101 inspiring and motivational quotes of Swami Vivekananda.

Advance like a hero. Don’t be thwarted by anything. How many days will this body last, with its happiness and misery? When you have got the human body, then rouse the Atman within and say — i have reached the state of fearlessness! Say — i am the Atman in which my lower ego has become merged for ever. Be perfect in this idea; and then as long as the body endures, speak unto others this message of fearlessness: “Thou art That”, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached!” If you can achieve this, then shall I know that you are really a tenacious East Bengal man.^[Source]
All great undertakings are achieved through mighty obstacles.— You valiant one, put forth your manly efforts; Wretched people under the grip of lust and gold deserve to be looked upon with indifference.^[Source]
All knowledge is within us. All perfection is there already in the soul. But this perfection has been covered up by nature; layer after layer of nature is covering this purity of the soul. What have we to do? Really we do not develop our souls at all. What can develop the perfect? We simply take the evil off; and the soul manifests itself in its pristine purity, its natural, innate freedom.^[Source]
All noble undertakings are fraught with obstacles. It is quite in the nature of things. Keep up the deepest mental poise. Take not even the slightest notice of what puerile creatures may be saying against you. Indifference, indifference, indifference!^[Source]
All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that; do not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics as most of us believe now-a-days. You can do anything and everything, without even the guidance of any one.^[Source]
All search is vain, until we begin to perceive that knowledge is within ourselves, that no one can help us, that we must help ourselves.^[Source]
All the misery we have is of our own choosing; such is our nature. The old Chinaman, who having been kept in prison for sixty years was released on the coronation of a new emperor, exclaimed, when he came out, that he could not live; he must go back to his horrible dungeon among the rats and mice; he could not bear the light. So he asked them to kill him or send him back to the prison, and he was sent back. Exactly similar is the condition of all men. We run headlong after all sorts of misery, and are unwilling to be freed from them. Every day we run after pleasure, and before we reach it, we find it is gone, it has slipped through our fingers. Still we do not cease from our mad pursuit, but on and on we go, blinded fools that we are.^[Source]
All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. Know that there is no darkness around us. Take the hands away and there is the light which was from the beginning. Darkness never existed, weakness never existed. We who are fools cry that we are weak; we who are fools cry that we are impure.^[Source]
Always keep the mind cheerful. Everyone will die once. Cowards suffer the pangs of death again and again, solely due to the fear in their own minds.^[Source]
“Arise, awake, sleep no more; within each of you there is the power to remove all wants and all miseries. Believe this, and that power will be manifested. ^[Source]
Avoid weakness and slavery.^[Source]
Awake, awake, great ones! The world is burning with misery. Can you sleep? Let us call and call till the sleeping gods awake, till the god within answers to the call. What more is in life? What greater work? The details come to me as I go. I never make plans. Plans grow and work themselves. I only say, awake, awake!^[Source]
Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.” Tell this to everybody –“Have no fear”. Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life.^[Source]
Be brave and be sincere; then follow any path with devotion, and you must reach the Whole. Once lay hold of one link of the chain, and the whole chain must come by degrees.^[Source]
Be free; hope for nothing from anyone. I am sure if you look back upon your lives you will find that you were always vainly trying to get help from others which never came. ^[Source]
Be perfectly unselfish, be steady and work on. We will do great things; do not fear… One thing more. Be the servant of all, and do not try in the least to govern others. That will excite jealousy and destroy everything… Go on. You have worked wonderfully well. We do not wait for help, we will work it out, my boy, be self-reliant, faithful and patient. Do not antagonise my other friends, live in harmony with all. My eternal love to all.^[Source]
Be perfectly resigned, perfectly unconcerned; then alone can you do any true work. No eyes can see the real forces; we can only see the results. Put out self, forget it; just let God work, it is His business.^[Source]
Bear in mind, my children, that only cowards and those who are weak commit sin and tell lies. The brave are always moral. Try to be moral, try to be brave, try to be sympathizing.^[Source]
Being reminded of weakness does not help much; give strength, and strength does not come by thinking of weakness all the time. The remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength.^[Source]
Blame neither man, nor God, nor anyone in the world. When you find yourselves suffering, blame yourselves, and try to do better.^[Source]
Brave, bold men, these are what we want. What we want is vigour in the blood, strength in the nerves, iron muscles and nerves of steel, not softening namby-pamby ideas. Avoid all these. Avoid all mystery.^[Source]
Calm and silent and steady work, and no newspaper humbug, no name-making, you must always remember.^[Source]
Come out into the broad light of day, come out from the little narrow paths, for how can the infinite soul rest content to live and die in small ruts?^[Source]
Courage! Everything will come about by degrees. From all of you I want this that you must discard for ever self-aggrandisement, faction-mongering, and jealousy. You must be all-forbearing, like Mother Earth. If you can achieve this, the world will be at your feet.^[Source]
Cowards never win victories. We have to fight fear and troubles and ignorance if we expect them to flee before us.^[Source]
Cowards only sin, brave men never, no, not even in mind.^[Source]
Cut the bondage of all worldly affections; go beyond laziness and all care as to what becomes of you. Never turn back to see the result of what you have done.^[Source]
Darkness never existed, weakness never existed. We who are fools cry that we are weak; we who are fools cry that we are impure.^[Source]
Do not be afraid. Great things are going to be done, my child. Take heart.^[Source]
Do not be afraid of a small beginning. great things come afterwards. Be courageous. Do not try to lead your brethren, but serve them. The brutal mania for leading has sunk many a great ships in the waters of life. Take care especially of that, i.e. be unselfish even unto death, and work.^[Source]
Each one of us reaps what we ourselves have sown. These miseries under which we suffer, these bondages under which we struggle, have been caused by ourselves, and none else in the universe is to blame. God is the least to blame for it.^[Source]
Each person tries to hold himself faultless and lay the blame upon somebody or something else, or even on bad luck.^[Source]
Even at the gate of death, in the greatest danger, in the thick of the battlefield, at the bottom of the ocean, on the tops of the highest mountains, in the thickest of the forest, tell yourself, “I am He, I am He”. Day and night say, “I am He”. It is the greatest strength; it is religion.^[Source]
Every work has got to pass through hundreds of difficulties before succeeding. Those that persevere will see the light, sooner or later.^[Source]
Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.^[Source]
Give up jealousy and conceit. Learn to work unitedly for others. This is the great need of our country.^[Source]
Go on bravely — never mind about designs and other details at present — “With the horse will come the reins”. Work unto death — I am with you, and when I am gone, my spirit will work with you. This life comes and goes — wealth, fame, enjoyments are only of a few days. It is better, far better to die on the field of duty, preaching the truth, than to die like a worldly worm. Advance!^[Source]
God is not to be reached by the weak. Never be weak. You have infinite strength within you. How else will you conquer anything? How else will you come to God?^[Source]
Great things can be done by great sacrifices only.^[Source]
Have faith that you are all, my brave lads, born to do great things! Let not the barks of puppies frighten you— no, not even the thunderbolts of heaven— but, stand up and work.^[Source]
Have fire and spread all over. Work, work. Be the servant while leading, be unselfish, and never listen to one friend in private accusing another. Have infinite patience, and success is yours.^[Source]
Have no fear, my son.^[Source]
Have patience and be faithful unto death. Do not fight among yourselves. Be perfectly pure in money dealings… We will do great things yet… So long as you have faith and honesty and devotion, everything will prosper.^[Source]
Help does not come from without; it comes from within ourselves. Cry to all the gods in the universe. I cried for years, and in the end I found that I was helped. But help came from within.^[Source]
I do not want to have any connection with lazy, hard-hearted, cruel and selfish men.^[Source]
I want each one of my children to be a hundred times greater than I could ever be. Everyone of you must be a giant— must, that is my word. Obedience, readiness, and love for the cause— if you have these three, nothing can hold you back.^[Source]
If you are really my children, you will fear nothing, stop at nothing. You will be like lions. We must rouse India and the whole world. No cowardice. I will take no nay. Do you understand?^[Source]
If you read the Vedas, you will find this word always repeated — fearlessness — fear nothing. Fear is a sign of weakness. A man must go about his duties without taking notice of the sneers and the ridicule of the world.^[Source]
Infinite patience, infinite purity, and infinite perseverance are the secret of success in a good cause.^[Source]
Is there anything difficult for the hero?^[Source]
It is fear alone that is death. You have to go beyond all fear. So from this day be fearless.^[Source]
It is the hero alone, not the coward, who has liberation within his easy reach.^[Source]
Know you are the Infinite, then fear must die. Say ever, “I and my Father are one.”^[Source]
Let people say whatever they like, stick to your own convictions, and rest assured, the world will be at your feet. They say, ‘Have faith in this fellow or that fellow’, but, I say, ‘Have faith in yourself first’. that’s the way.^[Source]
Let us be true. Nine-tenths of our life’s energy is spent in trying to make people think us that which we are not. That energy would be more rightly spent in becoming that which we would like to be.^[Source]
Let us proclaim to every soul: उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत — Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached. Arise, awake! Awake from this hypnotism of weakness.^[Source]
Man is born to conquer nature and not to follow it. ^[Source]
Man never dies, nor is he ever born; bodies die, but he never dies.^[Source]
Mark you, let us all be honest. If we cannot follow the ideal, let us confess our weakness, but not degrade it; let not any try to pull it down.^[Source]
My child, what I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made.^[Source]
My sons, all of you be men. This is what I want! If you are even a little successful, I shall feel my life has been meaningful.^[Source]
Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin ? to say that you are weak, or others are weak.^[Source]
No great thing can be done without sacrifice.^[Source]
No need for looking behind. FORWARD! We want infinite energy, infinite zeal, infinite courage, and infinite patience, then only will great things achieved.^[Source]
Nobody will come to help you if you put yourself forward as a leader. . . . Kill self first if you want to succeed.^[Source]
Nothing else is necessary but these — love, sincerity, and patience.^[Source]
Persevere on, my brave lads, We have only just begun. Never despond! Never say enough!^[Source]
Please do not panic due to unfounded fear.^[Source]
Purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles. All great things must of necessity be slow.^[Source]
Purity, perseverance, and energy— these three I want.^[Source]
Say — “I am Existence Absolute, Bliss Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, I am He,” and like a lion breaking its cage, break your chain and be free for ever. What frightens you, what holds you down?^[Source]
Silly fools tell you that you are sinners, and you sit down in a corner and weep. It is foolishness, wickedness, downright rascality to say that you are sinners! You are all God. See you not God and call Him man?^[Source]
So’ham — I am He. Repeat the idea constantly, voluntarily at first; then it becomes automatic in practice. It percolates to the nerves. So this idea, by rote, by repetition, should be driven even into the nerves.^[Source]
Stand up and be strong! No fear. No superstition. Face the truth as it is! If death comes — that is the worst of our miseries — let it come! We are determined to die game.^[Source]
Stand and die in your own strength, if there is any sin in the world, it is weakness; avoid all weakness, for weakness is sin, weakness is death.^[Source]
Strength, strength it is that we want so much in this life, for what we call sin and sorrow have all one cause, and that is our weakness. With weakness comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes misery.^[Source]
Struggle hard and then if you do not succeed, you are not to blame. Let the world praise or blame you. Let all the wealth of the earth come to your feet, or let you be made the poorest on earth. Let death come this moment or hundreds of years hence. Swerve not from the path you have taken. All good thoughts are immortal and go to make Buddhas and Christs.^[Source]
Struggle, struggle, was my motto for the last ten years. Struggle, still say I. When it was all dark, I used to say, struggle; when light is breaking in, I still say, struggle. Be not afraid, my children. Look not up in that attitude of fear towards that infinite starry vault as if it would crush you.^[Source]
Take care! Beware of everything that is untrue; stick to truth and we shall succeed, maybe slowly, but surely.^[Source]
Take courage and work on. Patience and steady work — this is the only way. Go on; remember — patience and purity and courage and steady work. . . . So long as you are pure, and true to your principles, you will never fail.^[Source]
Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.^[Source]
The brave alone can afford to be sincere. Compare the lion and the fox.^[Source]
The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment.^[Source]
The Vedanta recognises no sin, it only recognises error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta, is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that. Every time you think in that way, you, as it were, rivet one more link in the chain that binds you down, you add one more layer of hypnotism on to your own soul. Therefore, whosoever thinks he is weak is wrong, whosoever thinks he is impure is wrong, and is throwing a bad thought into the world. This we must always bear in mind that in the Vedanta there is no attempt at reconciling the present life — the hypnotised life, this false life which we have assumed — with the ideal; but this false life must go, and the real life which is always existing must manifest itself, must shine out. No man becomes purer and purer, it is a matter of greater manifestation. The veil drops away, and the native purity of the soul begins to manifest itself. Everything is ours already — infinite purity, freedom, love, and power.^[Source]
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you.^[Source]
There is a great tendency in modern times to talk too much of work and decry thought. Doing is very good, but that comes from thinking. Little manifestations of energy through the muscles are called work. But where there is no thought, there will be no work. Fill the brain, therefore, with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work. Talk not about impurity, but say that we are pure. We have hypnotised ourselves into this thought that we are little, that we are born, and that we are going to die, and into a constant state of fear.^[Source]
This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon any one outside, but be a man, stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find, that is always true. Get hold of yourself.^[Source]
This world is not for cowards. Do not try to fly. Look not for success or failure. Join yourself to the perfectly unselfish will and work on. Know that the mind which is born to succeed joins itself to a determined will and perseveres. You have the right to work, but do not become so degenerate as to look for results. Work incessantly, but see something behind the work. Even good deeds can find a man in great bondage. Therefore be not bound by good deeds or by desire for name and fame. Those who know this secret pass beyond this round of birth and death and become immortal.^[Source]
Those who die, merely suffering the woes of life like cats and dogs, are they men? He is a man who even when agitated by the sharp interaction of pleasure and pain is discriminating, and knowing them to be of an evanescent nature, becomes passionately devoted to the Atman. This is all the difference between men and animals.^[Source]
Truth, purity, and unselfishness — wherever these are present, there is no power below or above the sun to crush the possessor thereof. Equipped with these, one individual is able to face the whole universe in opposition.^[Source]
To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. ‘I will drink the ocean’, says the persevering soul, ‘at my will mountains will crumble up.’ Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal.^[Source]
Wait with patience and love and strength. If helpers are not ready now, they will come in time. Why should we be in a hurry? The real working force of all great work is in its almost unperceived beginnings.^[Source]
We are forever trying to make our weakness look like strength, our sentiment like love, our cowardice like courage, etc. Say to your soul in regard to vanities, weaknesses, etc., “This does not befit thee. This does not befit thee”.^[Source]
We are our own help. If we cannot help ourselves, there is none to help us.^[Source]
We shall have to work like lions, keeping the ideal before us, without caring whether “the wise ones praise or blame us”.^[Source]
What the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like thunderbolt.^[Source]
What this world wants today, more than it ever did before, is strength.^[Source]
Whatever you believe, that you will be. If you believe yourselves to be sages, sages you will be tomorrow. There is nothing to obstruct you.^[Source]
You are a part of the Infinite. This is your nature. Hence you are your brother’s keeper… When you hurt anyone you hurt yourself, for you and your brother are one.^[Source]
You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.^[Source]
You must have an iron will if you would cross the ocean. You must be strong enough to pierce mountains.^[Source]

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