WELL, MY BOY, THIS IS THE SCHOOL OF MISERY, WHICH IS ALSO THE SCHOOL OF GREAT SOULS

 

 

I am called by the Lord for this. I have been dragged through a whole life full of crosses and tortures, I have seen the nearest and dearest die, almost of starvation; I have been ridiculed, distrusted, and have suffered for my sympathy for the very men who scoff and scorn. Well, my boy, this is the school of misery, which is also the school for great souls and prophets for the cultivation of sympathy, of patience, and, above all, of an indomitable iron will which quakes not even if the universe be pulverised at our feet.

 

- Swami Vivekananda
[ From the book: Swami Vivekananda - On Himself ]