Swami Sivananda Quotes

Character is much easier kept than recovered.

The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.

Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.

Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.

Recommend to your children virtue; that alone can make them happy, not gold.

Be sweet, be good, and honest always.

You come before me this morning with clean hands and clean collars. I want you to have clean tongues, clean manners, clean morals and clean characters.

Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.

If you stick to what the Bible teaches, then you have everything you need: honesty, openness, friendliness, respect, tolerance, and much more, which is often lost nowadays.

Humility is the mother of all virtues: the humble in spirit progress and are blessed because they willingly submit to higher powers and try to live in harmony with natural laws and universal principles. Courage is the father of all virtues; we need great courage to lead our lives by correct principles and to have integrity in the moment of choice.

Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others' faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.

The richest grace of ahimsa will descend easily upon the owner of hard discipline.

Nothing is gained except by sacrifice.... Do not degrade it to the level of the brutes.... Make yourselves decent men! ... Be chaste and pure! ... There is no other way. Did Christ find any other way?

Speak the truth do not become angered and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the gods.

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.

I know, to banish anger altogether from one's breast is a difficult task. It cannot be achieved through pure personal effort. It can be done only by God's grace.

It is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action.

I can tell you character traits I admire and work to develop in myself - perseverance, self-discipline, courage to stand up for what is right even when it is against one's friends or one's self.

Great people have great values and great ethics.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

I'm a good girl because I really believe in love, integrity, and respect.

So I think ethics is the broader thing that's less focused on prohibitions and is more perhaps looking at principles and questions and ideas about how to live your life.

Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.

There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.