Swami Vivekananda Quotes About Books

• Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy - by one, or more, or all of these - and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Philosophy, Book, Psychics

  Swami Vivekananda (2012). “Raja Yoga (Annotated Edition)”, p.120, Jazzybee Verlag

• Was there ever a more horrible blasphemy than the statement that all the knowledge of God is confined to this or that book? How dare men call God infinite, and yet try to compress Him within the covers of a little book!

  Swami Vivekananda

  Inspiring, Book, Men

  Swami Vivekananda (2016). “Raja Yoga: Conquering the Internal Nature”, p.53, Advaita Ashrama

• One way for attaining Bhakti is by repeating the name of God a number of times. Mantras have effect: the mere repetition of words.... To obtain Bhakti, seek the company of holy men who have Bhakti, and read books like the Gita and the Imitation of Christ; always think of the attributes of God.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Men, Thinking

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.2616, Manonmani Publishers

• Books are infinite in number and time is short. The secret of knowledge is to take what is essential. Take that and try to live up to it.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Numbers, Secret

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “Raja Yoga: Art of Living”, p.142, editionNEXT.com

• Do not believe a thing because you have read about it in a book. Do not believe a thing because another man has said it was true. Do not believe in words because they are hallowed by tradition. Find out the truth for yourself. Reason it out. That is realization.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Believe, Book, Men

  Swami Vivekananda (1972). “Awakened India”

• Are you unselfish? That is the question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religious book, without going into a single church or temple.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Religious, Book, Reading

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Action”, p.52, Advaita Ashrama

• True religion is not talk, or doctrines, or theories, nor is it sectarianism. It is the relation between soul and God. Religion does not consist in erecting temples, or building churches, or attending public worship. It is not to be found in books, or in words, or in lectures, or in organizations. Religion consists in realization. We must realize God, feel God, see God, talk to God. That is religion.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Organization, Soul

• Books are good but they are only maps. Reading a book by direction of a man I read that so many inches of rain fell during the year. Then he told me to take the book and squeeze it between my hands. I did so and not a drop of water came from it. It was the idea only that the book conveyed. So we can get good from books, from the temple, from the church, from anything, so long as it leads us onward and upward.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Rain, Book, Reading

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.920, Manonmani Publishers

• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This sentence alone would save mankind, if all books and prophets were lost. This purity of heart will bring the vision of God. It is the theme of the whole music of this universe. In purity is no bondage. Remove the veils of ignorance by purity; then we manifest ourselves as we really are and know that we were never in bondage. The seeing of 'many' is the great sin of all the world. See all as Self and love all; let all idea of separateness go.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Jesus, Book, Blessed

  "Inspired Talks by Swami Vivekananda".

• He whose book of the heart has been opened needs no other books.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Heart, Needs

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.2376, Manonmani Publishers

• The Imitation of Christ is a cherished treasure of the Christian world. This great book was written by a Roman Catholic monk. "Written", perhaps, is not the proper word. It would be more appropriate to say that each letter of the book is marked deep with the heart's blood of the great soul who had renounced all for his love of Christ.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Christian, Jesus, Book

  Swami Vivekananda (1955). “Complete Works”

• I hear, Western people say, "The world was created for us." If tigers could write books, they would say, man was created for them and that man is a most sinful animal, because he does not allow him (the tiger) to catch him easily. The worm that crawls under your feet today is a God to be.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Writing, Animal

  Swami Vivekananda (1964). “Complete Works”

• Here lies the secret. Says Patanjali, the father of Yoga, "When a man rejects all the superhuman powers, then he attains to the cloud of virtue." He sees God. He becomes God and helps others to become the same. This is all I have to preach. Doctrines have been expounded enough. There are books by the million. Oh, for an ounce of practice!

  Swami Vivekananda

  Lying, Father, Yoga

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.3828, Manonmani Publishers

• Man is to become divine by realizing the divine. Idols or temples, or churches or books, are only the supports, the help of his spiritual childhood.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Inspiring, Spiritual, Book

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “Swami Vivekanand's Chicago Speech: Swami Vivekananda’s Speech At World Parliament Of Religion, Chicago”, p.15, editionNEXT.com

• Even books are nurses, medicines are nurses. But we must work to bring about the time when man shall recognise his mastery over his own body. Herbs and medicines have power over us as long as we allow them; when we become strong, these external methods are no more necessary.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Strong, Book, Men

  Swami Vivekananda (1926). “The Complete Works of the Swami Vivekananda, Comprising All His Lectures, Addresses and Discourses Delivered in Europe, America and India: All His Writings in Prose and Poetry, Together with Translations of Those Written in Bengali and Sanskrit; Reports of His Interviews and His Replies to the Various Addresses of Welcome; His Sayings and Epistles,--private and Public--original and Translated; with an Index; Carefully Revised & Edited”

• You nourish your minds by reading books. There is no good in doing that unless you hold it also as a sacrifice to the whole world. For the whole world is one; you are rated a very insignificant part of it, and therefore it is right for you that you should serve your millions of brothers rather than aggrandise this little self

  Swami Vivekananda

  Brother, Book, Reading

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.1341, Manonmani Publishers

• Get away from all books and forms and let your soul see its Self. "We are deluded and maddened by books", Shri Krishna declares.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Self, Soul

• True religion comes not front the teaching of men or the reading of books; it is the awakening of the spirit within us, consequent upon pure and heroic action.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Teaching, Reading

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.1596, Manonmani Publishers

• I do not call it religion so long as it is confined to books and dogmas.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Long, Dogma

  Swami Vivekananda, Swami Adiswarananda (2006). “Vivekananda, World Teacher: His Teachings on the Spiritual Unity of Humankind”, p.226, SkyLight Paths Publishing

• Books are only made so that they may point the way to a higher life; but no good results unless the path is trodden with unflinching steps!

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, May, Way

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.1597, Manonmani Publishers

• If religion and life depend upon books or upon the existence of any prophet whatsoever, then perish all religion and books! Religion is in us. No books or teachers can do more than help us to find it, and even without them we can get all truth within. You have gratitude for books and teachers without bondage to them; and worship your Guru as God, but do not obey him blindly; love him all you will, but think for yourself. No blind belief can save you, work out your own salvation. Have only one idea of God - that He is an eternal help.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Teacher, Gratitude, Book

  Swami Vivekananda (1953). “Complete Works”

• The Vedas give information on various subjects. They have come together and form one book. And in later times, when other subjects were separated from religion - when astronomy and astrology were taken out of religion - these subjects, being connected with the Vedas and being ancient, were considered very holy.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Taken, Astrology

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.4503, Manonmani Publishers

• Books cannot teach God, but they can destroy ignorance; their action is negative.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Ignorance, Negative

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.3157, Manonmani Publishers

• The book is all in us. Fool, hearest not thou? In thine own heart day and night is singing that Eternal Music - Sachchidânanda, soham, soham - Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, I am He, I am He.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Heart, Night

• Books never make religions, but religions make books. We must not forget that. No book ever created God, but God inspired all the great books. And no book ever created a soul.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Book, Soul, Inspired

  Swami Vivekananda (2017). “Vedanta: Voice of Freedom”, p.114, Vedanta Society of St. Louis

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