Ramakrishna Quotes

The secret of image - worship is that you are trying to develop your vision of Divinity in one thing.

What makes a genius? The ability to see. To see what? The butterfly in a caterpillar, the eagle in an egg, the saint in a selfish person, life in death, unity in separation, God in the human and human in God and suffering as the form in which the incomprehensibility of God himself appears.

We become contemplatives when God discovers Himself in us.

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.

Ordinary love is mere animal attraction. Otherwise why is the distinction between the sexes? If one kneels before an image, it is dreadful idolatry; but if one kneels before husband or wife, it is quite permissible!

Prayer feeds the soul - as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul - and it brings you closer to God.

Certainly true worship invigorates, but to plan invigoration is not necessarily to order worship.

We can never know God as it is our privilege to know Him by brief repetitions that are requests for personal favors, and nothing more.

Because I am a Christian, therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God's Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for me. I can only move forward with certainty upon the firm ground of the Word of God. And, as a Christian, I learn to know the Holy Scriptures in no other way than by hearing the Word preached and by prayerful meditation.

True worship leads to a more full knowledge of self, God, heaven, duty, doctrine, practice and experience.

Prayer and a holy life are one. They mutually act and react. Neither can survive alone. The absence of the one is the absence of the other.

Saints are simply men & women who have fulfilled their natural obligation which is to approach God.

We cannot really know God if we do not pray.

Holy writing must strive (by all means) for perfection and true holiness, that a door may be opened to him in heaven.

You know the Ark of Israel and the calf of Belial were both made of gold. Religion has never yet changed the metal of her one adoration.

In vocal prayer we speak to God; in mental prayer he speaks to us. It is then that God pours Himself into us.

Who falls for love of God, shall rise a star.

When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek Him for Himself.

The Quran mentions the story of Moses and Khidr [a prophet mentioned in the Quran who guided Moses on a revelatory journey], a famous story, in which Moses represents sort of the external understanding of the religion and Khidr represents the inner spiritual understanding of the religion. Moses went on a journey with Khidr and Khidr said, "I will not accept you unless you stop questioning things," which from an external point of view seems strange, but inwardly is very meaningful. This is exactly the question of spiritual guidance.

When we touch the foundation of the reality of the good news of God, we will never bother Him anymore with little personal complaints.

We pray not to inform God or instruct Him but to beseech Him closely, to be made intimate with Him, by continuance in supplication; to be humbled; to be reminded of our sins.

Many stop short of a divine encounter because they are satisfied with good theology. The word of God is to lead us to the God of the word.

Ah, why Should we, in the world's riper years, neglect God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore Only among the crowd and under roofs That our frail hands have raised?

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God.

We must remain as close to the flowers, the grass, and the butterflies as the child is who is not yet so much taller than they are. We adults, on the other hand, have outgrown them and have to lower ourselves to stoop down to them. It seems to me that the grass hates us when we confess our love for it. Whoever would partake of all good things must understand how to be small at times.