Ramakrishna Quotes & Sayings

Wisdom leads to unity, but ignorance to separation.
So long as God seems to be outside and far away, there is ignorance.
But when God is realised within, that is true knowledge. — Ramakrishna

Longing is like the rosy dawn. After the dawn out comes the sun. Longing is followed by the vision of God. — Ramakrishna

The waves belong to the Ganges, not the Ganges to the waves. A man cannot realize God unless he gets rid of all such egotistic ideas as "I am such an important man" or "I am so and so". Level the mound of "I" to the ground by dissolving it with tears of devotion. — Ramakrishna

Through selfless work, love of God grows in heart. — Ramakrishna

God is in all men, but all men are not in God; that is why we suffer. — Ramakrishna

It is on account of the ego that one is not able to see God. In front of the door of God's mansion lies the stump of ego. One cannot enter the mansion without jumping over the stump. — Ramakrishna

The rishis of old attained the Knowledge of Brahman. One cannot have this so long as there is the slightest trace of worldliness. How hard the rishis laboured ! Early in the morning they would go away from the hermitage, and would spend the whole day in solitude, meditating on Brahman. At night they would return to the hermitage and eat a little fruit or roots. They kept their mind aloof from the objects of sight, hearing, touch, and other things of a worldly nature. Only thus did they realize Brahman as their own inner conciousness. — Ramakrishna

Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal. — Ramakrishna

One cannot completely get rid of the six passions: lust, anger, greed, and the like. Therefore one should direct them to God. If you must have desire and greed, then you should desire love of God and be greedy to attain Him. — Ramakrishna

I have no disciple. I am the servant of the servant of Rama . — Ramakrishna

How dare you talk of helping the world? God alone can do that. First you must be made free from all sense of self; then the Divine Mother will give you a task to do. — Ramakrishna

Man needs a guru. But a man must have faith in the guru's words. He succeeds in spiritual life by looking on his guru as God Himself. — Ramakrishna

The breeze of grace is always blowing; set your sail to catch that breeze. — Ramakrishna

When you meditate, go into the solitude of a forest, or a quiet corner, and enter into the chamber of your heart. And always keep your power of discrimination awake. — Ramakrishna

So long as the bee is outside the petals of the lily, and has not tasted the sweetness of its honey, it hovers around the flower emitting the buzzing sound; but when it is inside the flower, it noiselessly drinks the nectar. So long as a man quarrels and disputes about doctrines and dogmas, he has not tasted the nectar of true faith; when he has tasted it, he becomes quiet and full of peace. — Ramakrishna

Let's not go into the past. — Ramakrishna

The nearer you approach to God, the less you reason and argue. When you attain Him, then all sounds - all reasoning and disputing - come to an end. Then you go into samadhi - sleep - , into communion with God in silence. — Ramakrishna

There is no hope for a worldly man if he is not sincerely devoted to God. — Ramakrishna

A boat may stay in water, but water should not stay in boat. A spiritual aspirant may live in the world, but the world should not live within him. — Ramakrishna

It is necessary to pray to Him, with a longing Heart. — Ramakrishna

When an unbaked pot is broken, the potter can use the mud to make a new one; but when a baked one is broken, he cannot do the same any longer. So when a person dies in a state of ignorance, he is born again; but when he becomes well baked in the fire of true knowledge and dies a perfect man, he is not born again. — Ramakrishna

In the scriptures you will find the way to realize God. But after getting all the information about the path, you must begin to work, Only then can you attain your goal. — Ramakrishna

The physicians of one class feel the patients and go away, merely prescribing medicine. As they leave the room they simply ask the patient to take the medicine. They are the poorest class of physicians. — Ramakrishna

Man suffers through lack of faith in God. — Ramakrishna

The fool who repeats again and again: "I am bound, I am bound," remains in bondage. He who repeats day and night: "I am a sinner, I am a sinner," becomes a sinner indeed. — Ramakrishna

Different creeds are but different paths to reach the same God. — Ramakrishna

The vanities of all others may gradually die out, but the vanity of a saint regarding his sainthood is hard indeed to wear away. — Ramakrishna

If you meditate on your ideal, you will acquire its nature. If you think of God day and night, you will acquire the nature of God. — Ramakrishna

Infinite are the paths and infinite the opinions. — Ramakrishna

God cannot be realizxd if there is the slightest trace of pride. — Ramakrishna

Why should you renounce everything? You are all right as you are, following the middle ... — Ramakrishna

When divine vision is attained, all appear equal; and there remains no distinction of good and bad, or of high and low. — Ramakrishna

Men bound hand and foot in the endless chain of cause & effect cannot free each other. — Ramakrishna

God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole. — Ramakrishna

Honour both spirit and form, the sentiment within as well as the symbol without. — Ramakrishna

The world is impermanent. One should constantly remember death. — Ramakrishna

One must be very particular about telling the truth. Through truth one can realize God. — Ramakrishna

God had created the world in play. — Ramakrishna

The ordinary man says in his ignorance, "My religion is the sole religion, my religion is the best." But when his heart is illuminated by the true knowledge, he knows that beyond all the battles of sects and of sectaries presides the one, indivisible, eternal and omnipresent Benediction. — Ramakrishna

These people are like ... a frog living in a well, who has never seen the outside world. He knows only his well, so he will not believe that there is such a thing as the world. Likewise, people talk so much about the world because they have not known the joy of God. — Ramakrishna

Finish the few duties you have at hand, and then you will have peace. — Ramakrishna

A truly religious man should think that other religions also have many paths leading to the truth.
One should always maintain an attitude of respect towards other religions. Dispute not, as you rest firmly on your own faith and opinion, allow others also equal liberty to stand by their own faith and opinion. — Ramakrishna

Make your meditation a continuous state of mind. A great worship is going on all the time, so nothing should be neglected or excluded from your constant meditative awareness. — Ramakrishna

Knowledge leads to unity, but ignorance to diversity. — Ramakrishna

Many good sayings are to be found in holy books, but merely reading them will not make one religious. — Ramakrishna

Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is of the mind. If you say 'I am a free soul. I am a son of God who can bind me' free you shall be. — Ramakrishna

The tree laden with fruits always bends low. If you wish to be great, be lowly and meek. — Ramakrishna

Why does God allow evil in the world? To thicken the plot. — Ramakrishna

With sincerity and earnestness one can realize God through all religions. — Ramakrishna

The world is not impermanent if one lives there after knowing God. — Ramakrishna

Men are like pillow-cases. The colour of one may be red, that of another blue, and that of the third black; but all contain the same cotton within. So it is with man; one is beautiful, another is ugly, a third holy , and a fourth wicked; but the Divine Being dwells in them all — Ramakrishna

You speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First realise God, see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power you can do good to others; otherwise not. — Ramakrishna

If you spent one-tenth of the time you devoted to distractions like chasing women or making money to spiritual practice, you would be enlightened in a few years. — Ramakrishna

One cannot attain divine knowledge till one gets rid of pride. Water does not stay on the top of a mound; but into low land it flows in torrents from all sides. — Ramakrishna

As a piece of rope, when burnt, retains its form, but cannot serve to bind, so is the ego which is burnt by the fire of supreme Knowledge. — Ramakrishna

If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled. — Ramakrishna

The alligator loves to swim on the surface of the water, but is obliged to remain beneath for fear of the hunter. Yet, whenever he finds an opportunity, he rises with a deep whizzing noise, and swims happily on the watery expanse. O man, entangled in the meshes of the world, you too are anxious to swim on the surface of the Ocean of Bliss, but are prevented by the importunate demands of your family! Yet be of good cheer! Whenever you find any leisure, call eagerly upon your God, pray to Him earnestly, and tell Him all your sorrows. In due time, He will surely emancipate you, and enable you to swim happily upon the Ocean of Bliss — Ramakrishna

The goal of life is not the earning of money, but the service of God.p.114 — Ramakrishna

An ocean of bliss may rain down from the heavens, but if you hold up only a thimble, that is all you receive — Ramakrishna

It is true that God is even in the tiger, but we must not go and face the animal. So it is true that God dwells even in the most wicked, but it is not meet that we should associate with the wicked. — Ramakrishna

God has made different religions to suit different aspirants, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion ... One may eat a cake with icing either straight or sidewise. It will taste sweet either way. — Ramakrishna

The winds of God's grace are always blowing, it is for us to raise our sails. — Ramakrishna

When the head of a goat is severed from its body, the trunk struggles for some time, still showing signs of life. Similarly, though ahamkara (egotism) is slain in the perfect man, yet enough of its vitality is left to make him carry on the functions of physical life; but it is not sufficient to bind him again into the world. — Ramakrishna

Do not be small minded. Do not pray for gourds and pumpkins from God, when you should be asking for pure love and pure knowledge to dawn within every heart. — Ramakrishna

So long as one does not become simple like a child, one does not get divine illumination. Forget all the worldly knowledge that thou hast acquired and become as a child, and then will thou get the divine wisdom. — Ramakrishna

By the mind one is bound; by the mind one is freed ... He who asserts with strong conviction: "I am not bound, I am free," becomes free. — Ramakrishna

Many are the names of God and infinite the forms through which He may be approached. — Ramakrishna

Have love for everyone, no one is other than you. — Ramakrishna

God laughs on two occasions. He laughs when the physician says to the patient's mother, 'Don't be afraid, mother; I shall certainly cure your boy.' God laughs, saying to Himself, 'I am going to take his life, and this man says he will save it!' The physician thinks he is the master, forgetting that God is the Master. God laughs again when two brothers divide their land with a string, saying to each other, 'This side is mine and that side is yours.' He laughs and says to Himself, 'The whole universe belongs to Me, but they say they own this portion or that portion.' — Ramakrishna

The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need to do is set our sails. — Ramakrishna

It is easy to talk on religion, but difficult to practice it. — Ramakrishna

Can he rectify false weight whose own scales are uncertain? Can you enlighten your neighbor while you yourself have no light? — Ramakrishna

If one has faith, one has everything. — Ramakrishna

No one can say with finality that God is only 'this' and nothing else. He is formless, and again He has forms. For the bhakta He assumes forms. But He is formless for the jnani, that is, for him who looks on the world as a mere dream. The bhakta feels that he is one entity and the world another. Therefore God, reveals Himself to him as a Person. But the jnani - the Vedantist, for instance - always reasons, applying the process of 'Not this, not this'. Through this discrimination he realizes, by his inner perception, that the ego and the universe are both illusory, like a dream. Then the jnani realizes Brahman in his own consciousness. He cannot describe what Brahman is. — Ramakrishna

1. Is anything impossible for the grace of God? Suppose you bring a light into a room that has been dark a thousand years; does it remove the darkness little by little? The room is lighted all at once. Intense renunciation is what is needed. — Ramakrishna

Those who wish to attain God and progress in religious devotion, should particularly guard themselves against the snares of lust and wealth. Otherwise they can never attain perfection. — Ramakrishna

Whoever wants God intensely, finds Him. Go and verify it in your own life. — Ramakrishna

More are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship Him, through them you will realise Him. — Ramakrishna

Different people call on [God] by different names: some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Siva, and Brahman. It is like the water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call it 'jal', others at another place and call it 'pani', and still others at a third place and call it 'water'. The Hindus call it 'jal', the Christians 'water', and the Moslems 'pani'. But it is one and the same thing. — Ramakrishna

As a toy fruit or a toy elephant reminds one of the real fruit and the living animal, so do the images that are worshipped remind one of the God who is formless and eternal. — Ramakrishna

The truth is that you cannot attain God if you have even a trace of desire. Subtle is the way of dharma. If you are trying to thread a needle, you will not succeed if the thread has even a slight fiber sticking out. — Ramakrishna

The supreme purpose and goal for human life ... is to cultivate love. — Ramakrishna

If you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you. — Ramakrishna

If a white cloth is stained even with a small spot, the stain appears very ugly indeed. So the smallest fault of a holy man becomes painfully prominent. — Ramakrishna

Dislodging a green nut from it's shell is almost impossible, but let it dry and the lightest tap will do it. — Ramakrishna

The magnetic needle always points to the north, and hence it is that sailing vessel does not lose her direction. So long as the heart of man is directed towards God, he cannot be lost in the ocean of worldliness. — Ramakrishna

A man develops a subtle power as a result of the strict observance of celibacy for twelve years. Then he can understand and grasp very subtle things which otherwise elude his intellect. Through that understanding the aspirant can have direct vision of God. That pure understanding alone enables him to realize Truth. — Ramakrishna

Common men talk bagfuls of religion but do not practise even a grain of it. The wise man speaks a little, even though his whole life is religion expressed in action. — Ramakrishna

Unless one always speaks the truth, one cannot find God Who is the soul of truth. — Ramakrishna

Who may be called a paramahamsa? He who, like a swan, can take the milk from a mixture of milk and water, leaving aside the water. He who, like an ant, can take the sugar from a mixture of sugar and sand, leaving aside the sand. — Ramakrishna

If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God. — Ramakrishna

We laugh at the efforts of the musk deer to find the source of the scent which comes from itself and despair at our efforts to find the peace which is our essence. — Ramakrishna

If you feel proud, let it be in the thought that you are the servant of God, the son of God. Great men have the nature of a child. They are always a child before Him; so they are free from pride. All their strength is of God and not their own. It belongs to Him and comes from Him. — Ramakrishna

Spirituality automatically leads to humility. When a flower develops into a fruit, the petals drop off on its own. When one becomes spiritual, the ego vanishes gradually on its own. A tree laden with fruits always bends low. Humility is a sign of greatness. — Ramakrishna

Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny. — Ramakrishna

One cannot be spiritual as long as one has shame, hatred, or fear. — Ramakrishna

Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day. — Ramakrishna

When one has love for God, one doesn't feel any physical attraction to wife, children, relatives and friends. One retains only compassion for them. — Ramakrishna

If you want to go east, don't go west. — Ramakrishna

As the shell, the pith and the kernel of the fruit are all produced form one parent seed of the tree, so from the one Lord is produced the whole of creation, animate and inanimate, spiritual and material. — Ramakrishna