It may not be out of place to mention that in a speech made in 1993, Federico
Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, stated:
I am indeed struck by the similarity of the constitution of the Ramakrishna Mission which
Vivekananda established as early as 1897 with that of UNESCO drawn up in 1945. Both
place the human being at the centre of their efforts aimed at development. Both place
tolerance at the top of the agenda for building peace and democracy. Both recognize the
variety of human cultures and societies as an essential aspect of the common heritage




Tell me what you have done. Couldn’t you give away one life for the sake of others? [. . .]
Let this body go in the service of others – and then I shall know you have not come to
me in vain! (Rolland, 1992, p. 166).
Vivekananda


The Light Divine within is obscured in most people. It is like a lamp in a cask of
iron, no gleam of light can shine through. Gradually, by purity and unselfishness,
we can make the obscuring medium less and less dense, until at last it becomes transparent
as glass (CW, vol. VII, p. 21).
Vivekananda






The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves
for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of
philanthropy, and the courage of a lion – is it worth the name? Real education is
that which enables one to stand on one’s own legs (CW, vol. VII, pp. 147–148).

Vivekananda







Vivekananda also observed that, if education is to serve the entire human being,
in all his/her dimensions, the pursuit of knowledge will be a lifelong process. Even
an illustrious being like Sri Ramakrishna said, from his own experience, ‘As long as I
live, so long do I learn.’


To me the very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of
facts’ (CW, vol. VI, p. 38).




It is culture that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of knowledge. [. . .] Knowledge
is only skin-deep, as civilisation is, and a little scratch brings out the old savage (CW,
vol. III, p. 291).





Intellect has been cultured with the result that hundreds of sciences have been discovered,
and their effect has been that the few have made slaves of the many – that is all the good
that has been done. Artificial wants have been created; and every poor man, whether he
has money or not, desires to have those wants satisfied, and when he cannot, he struggles,
and dies in the struggle (CW, vol. I, p. 414).

Waiting for me, you are here. You, the Lord of the worlds, the refuge of all in quest of whom devotees ever roam in this world."

| Gauri-Ma
(Upon Visiting Sri Ramakrishna Dev at the Ganges- at age 25 after 15 years period of elapsed when she was initiated by him in a banana grove at age 10)


It is true that Sri Ramakrishna would often say in everyone's presence, "Gauri Ma is the greatest tapasvini. She is very fortunate and full of holiness." In a serious tone he would add, "Gauri is that gopi who has received the grace of the Lord through many births. She is a gopi from Brindavan."


Name and fame are like the excreta of pigs. Do your work with a detached attitude. You must treat name and fame like garbage. When you go to serve others, if you find lurking in the corner of your heart any desire for praise or prestige, it is like committing suicide in your spiritual life.
| Gauri-Ma


On one such occasion she said to the devotees, "In Durga Saptashati the Divine Mother is described as 'the most beneficent among the beneficent,' 'the fulfiller of wishes.' The Divine Mother fulfills all the wishes of Her devotees. Everything is in Her hands. Like a stubborn child, we hold on to Her sari and pester Her continuously. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'If you cannot do anything else, then be a child who pesters Mother. Have you not seen how a child clings to his mother's sari and insists on candy? The mother goes from one room to another room and the child follows her, still holding on to her sari, grumbling and demanding all the time. She cannot free herself from his grasp. Finally, she relents. It is her own child and she cannot watch him cry for long, so she opens her cupboard, picks him up on her lap, pats him, and calms him.'"
| Gauri-Ma



Another time when she was speaking with some women devotees, Gauri Ma reminded them, "Are you as women less than anybody else? Through the ages, countless sadhus and sannyasins have
been born for the welfare of the universe – they were all born to women. Women are the preservers of society and religion. They have more faith and devotion. If they try, they can realize God more quickly."
| Gauri-Ma


My ideal indeed can be put into a few words and that is: to preach unto mankind their Divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life
| Vivekananda


The American ideal of equality had special appeal to Vivekananda. Prior to coming to America, he had traversed the vast Indian subcontinent. He had witnessed the squalid conditions of its poor and experienced first-hand the great gulf separating the elites from the downtrodden. He lamented the fact that rich and poor would treat him, as a Sannyasin, with great respect and hospitality but would turn a blind eye to those millions suffering at the lowest rung of society. While he had also encountered inequality in America, he noted an important difference. Americans saw inequity as a moral failing to be corrected. In his view, this made American society particularly predisposed to Vedanta.



What is the God of Vedanta? He is principle, not person


I accept all religions that were in the past, and worship them all … I shall keep my heart open for all that may come in the future. Is God’s book finished? Or is it still a continuous revelation going on?




'Unceasing battle is indeed the worship of the Divine [Mother Kali].
Let not continuous defeat in this battle unnerve thee at all. Pulverized, pounded be all
self-centeredness, base cravings and vain self-esteem. The  heart  be  thus  made the  cremation
ground; And let Shyama (the Divine Mother Kali) dance there.'

'Speaking of San Francisco reminds me of a remark he made to me one evening after one of his lectures here. Several of us were walking home with him. I was in front with someone, and he behind with some others. Apropos of something he had been discussing, he said, "You have heard that Christ said, 'My words are spirit and they are life'." He pointed his finger at me and declared, "So are my words spirit and life; and they will burn their way into your brain and you will never get away from them."'

 | MRS. ALICE. M. HANSBROUGH

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/reminiscences/other_02_amh.htm

I dont like to dance unless You lead me.
If You want me to dance,
You must sing Yourself.
Mechthild

Not one of us knows what effect his life produces, and what he gives to others;
that is hidden from us and must remain so, though we are often allowed to
seem some little fraction of it, so that we may not lose courage.
The way in which power works is a mystery
- Schweitzer

Detachment lends one vision
to see clearly and so
to judge correctly;
hence from it springs justice.






And how may fearlessness come to us?

to the measure that the ego is less dominant,
to that measure will fearlessness grow ; and the easiest way to outgrow the ego is to grow towards an ideal.


Hence detachment brings with it
clear and correct judgement . and fearlessness the strength & courage to put into execution the judgement arrived at. so from these two parent qualities are born righteousness.
And how may mercy grow within us ?
It comes in larger or smaller measure, to the extent that we learn to identify ourselves
one with the other.

| Mi Cao Bu of Burma

Was there any use in repeating God’s name
if one did not have love for Him?’ asked a disciple.
‘If you fall into water, whether willingly or
unwillingly, your cloth will get wet all the same,
will it not?’ was her answer that immediately
quietened him.

 | Sri Sarada Devi




Why does one not experience God-absorption,
though one is constantly repeating God’s
name—is a problem that perplexes a spiritual
aspirant occasionally. When the Holy Mother was
asked that question, her practical advice was: ‘It
will come, by and by. But do not give up japa even
if the mind is unwilling and unsteady. You must
go on with the repetition of the name and you
will find that the mind is gradually getting
steadier, like a flame in calm air. Any movement
in the air disturbs the steady burning of a flame;
even so the presence of any thought or desire
makes the mind unsteady. The mantra must be
correctly repeated. As incorrect utterance delays
progress.’

-------------

But, then, a single utterance of the Lord’s name
is as effective as a million repetitions if you do it
with a steady, concentrated mind. What is the use
of repeating the mantra a million times with an
absent mind? You must do it whole-heartedly. Then
only can you deserve his grace,’ was her answer to
a similar question on another occasion.


When a man sees defects in others, his
own mind first gets polluted. What does he gain
by finding faults in others? He only hurts himself
by that.


Just as clouds are blown away by the wind,
so the thirst for material pleasure will be driven
away by the utterance of the Lord’s name

Surely the ‘wonderful things of God’ are all quiet—
stealing unnoticed into our lives—the air and the sunlight
and the sweetness of gardens and of the Ganges


| Sister Nivedita (A Short Life of Holy Mother)
Chief Disciple of Swami Vivekananda

If we are to judge what happens in spiritual life, what are the fruits
of spiritual practice, we must remember one thing. In worldly life,
many of those who have had splendid success did not dream that their
success in life would be so great. They began their life in an
ordinary way, they were struggling, and success began to come. The
greater the success, the greater was their boldness. They began to
aspire for more and more. Success leads to success. In the beginning
they were not so bold.

Einstein was dull when young. His father despaired of him. Afterwards
things came out. So also in spiritual life. Let us not, just in the
beginning, think in terms of the highest. Naturally we shall get
frightened. We shall see a great distance between us and the ideal.
That is not the way to reach the ideal.

In mountain climbing, from the foot of the hill you see first a peak
perhaps one thousand feet high, and what lies beyond is covered. When
you go to the top of that peak, you find another thousand or two
thousand feet above you. I remember the first time I went mountain
climbing. From the foot of the hill we could see, at a great height, a
peak covered with forest. When we reached that peak, we saw another
big peak in front of us. That is what happens in mountain climbing,
until you reach Mount Everest.

This is the way one attains the highest worldly success. Why should
you think, as soon as you feel interested in religion, that the
spiritual struggle is not possible for you because you will not be
able to reach the highest?

| Swami Pavitrananda



 You cannot have
religion, as Swami Vivekananda said, like an Oriental vase to decorate
your table. If you have it as a decoration, it will remain a
decoration. Not even that: it will dry up. Cut flowers will dry up
tomorrow or the next day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Describing the different stages of spiritual life, Buddha said that
first comes the practice of ethical virtues, then faith, then energy.
But that energy is of a different kind. When you have faith, your
energy becomes different. You assert your claim. "Why should truth be
denied to me?" Conviction has arisen. It is not simply a dreamy idea.
>From that conviction comes energy. Ramakrishna used to say to the
Divine Mother. "Thou didst reveal thyself to Ramprasad, so why not to
me?" This is how one prays when energy comes.

Then afterwards comes concentration, afterwards comes wisdom. These
are the higher stages. But as in ordinary life we find our level, in
spiritual life also, according to our struggle, according to the
intensity of our spiritual practice, we shall find our level. But no
one will go hungry if he has real hunger. One will get one's fruits at
the right time. The greater the hunger, the greater the fulfillment.
That is spiritual life.