40 Swami Vivekananda Quotes Every Yogi Can Benefit From Reading

Are you feeling called to deepen your yoga practice, but a trip to India is not possible right now? The Swami Vivekananda quotes in this article offer profound guidance to yogis navigating the complex journey of self-realization. These words of wisdom can help you advance in your yoga practice on and off the mat.

While he may no longer be alive, we can connect to Swami Vivekananda's timeless teachings through the words he shared in his talks, workshops, and classes. 

Swami Vivekananda was a well-known Hindu monk. He was praised for introducing Indian philosophies, including Yoga, to the Western world. 

Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta in 1863 and died in 1902. He studied under guru Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and became a leading disciple in the Ramakrishna Mission.

After spending many years in the monastery, Vivekananda had an inner calling to spread the universal principles of Hinduism to the rest of the world.

One of the most significant moments in Vivekananda’s life was delivering a speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. He then spent several years in the United States and Europe, where he gave lectures to spread the message of Vedanta.

Swami Vivekananda and his teachings inspired people all over the world because he advocated for peace, love, and acceptance. He emphasized the universality of spiritual practices and encouraged mutual respect among different religions.

Another reason Swami Vivekananda was so inspiring was he believed in the importance of combining spirituality with social service. Throughout his life, Vivekananda advocated for social reforms, education, and the upliftment of the masses. 

  1. “Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals. Place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.”
  2. “There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.”
  3. Dare to be free, dare to go as far as your thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life.”
  4. Don't look back – forward, infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience – then alone can great deeds be accomplished.”
  5. Be a hero. Always say, I have no fear.”
  6. “Believe in yourself, and the world will be at your feet.”
  7. “The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.”
  8. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, and live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, and every part of your body be full of that idea, and leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success; that is the way great spiritual giants are produced.”
  9. “Do one thing at a time, and while doing it put your whole soul into it to the exclusion of all else.”
  10. “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you; no one can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”
  11. “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”
  12. “All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind.”
  13. The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.”
  14. “The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fire's fault.”
  15. “Youth is the best time. The way in which you utilize this period will decide the nature of the coming years that lie ahead of you.
  16. “Arise, awake, stop not until your goal is achieved.”
  17. On a day when you don’t come across any problems, you can be sure you are traveling the wrong path.”
  18. “Each work has to pass through these stages: ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood.”
  19. However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is never injured. We are that Infinite.”
  20. “When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.”
  21. “Who is helping you, don't forget them. Who is loving you, don't hate them. Who is believing you, don't cheat them.”
  22. “Talk to yourself at least once a Day. Otherwise, you may miss a meeting with an EXCELLENT person in this world.” 
  23. “Relationships are more important than life, but it is important for those relationships to have life in them.”4. “
  24. Anything that makes you weak – physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject it as poison.”
  25. “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.”
  26. “Neither seek nor avoid; take what comes.”
  27. The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature.”
  28. “Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders.”
  29. “The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the man or woman who asks for no return, the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful.”
  30. “Struggle hard, and then if you do not succeed, you are not to blame.”
  31. “All love is expansion; all selfishness is contraction. Love is, therefore, the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love's sake, because it is the law of life, just as you breathe to live.”
  32. . “Condemn no one: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.”
  33. “All differences in this world are of degree and not of kind because oneness is the secret of everything.”
  34. “The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him – that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.”
  35. We are what our thoughts have made us, so take care of what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”
  36. Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.
  37. “Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you, but do not think of that now.”
  38. “Feel nothing, know nothing, do nothing, have nothing, give up all to God, and say utterly, ‘Thy will be done.' We only dream of this bondage. Wake up and let it go.”
  39. “If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.”
  40. “Be the servant while leading. Be unselfish. Have infinite patience, and success is yours.”

These Swami Vivekananda quotes serve as beacons of enlightenment, illuminating the path towards a deeper understanding of the self.

Through Vivekananda's incredible teachings, we glimpse the true essence of Yoga, allowing us to take our practice (and spiritual journey) to the next level. Curious to learn more about the great minds of yoga? Check out our article about Patanjali.

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Gemma
Gemma

Gemma is a Certified Yoga Teacher of over 5 years. Aside from being a CYT 200, Gemma is also certified in Yin and Yoga Nidra. Gemma is passionate about sharing her expertise of yoga and wellness through words, guiding others along the path of personal and spiritual development. She is in LOVE with everything related to personal-growth and psychology. Aside from helping others find more peace and stillness, Gemma runs a kitten rescue project in Thailand, where she is currently residing. Gemma can be reached at gemmac@theyogatique.com, or you can connect with Gemma on LinkedIn.

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