GIVING UP ALL ATTACHMENT TO WORK, ALWAYS SATISIFED, NOT HOPING FOR GAIN, THE WISE MAN ACTS AND IS BEYOND ACTION

"He whose efforts are bereft of all desire and selfishness has burnt all this bondage of action with the fire of knowledge. He is wise." Reading books cannot do that. The ass can be burdened with the whole library; that does not make him learned at all. What is the use of reading many books? "Giving up all attachment to work, always satisfied, not hoping for gain, the wise man acts and is beyond action."

- Swami Vivekananda
(Delivered in San Francisco, on May 29, 1900)
 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita III

THERE HAVE BEEN MORE GODS THAN HUMAN BEINGS; AND YET NO HELP. WE DIE LIKE DOGS - NO HELP

I see in my country a man becomes strong, educated, becomes a philosopher, and says, "All this praying and bathing is nonsense." ... The man's father dies, and his mother dies. That is the most terrible shock a Hindu can have. You will find him bathing in every dirty pool, going into the temple, licking the dust. ... Help anyone! But we are helpless. There is no help from anyone. That is the truth. There have been more gods than human beings; and yet no help. We die like dogs — no help.

It is a tremendous error to feel helpless. Do not seek help from anyone. We are our own help. If we cannot help ourselves, there is none to help us. ...
...
- Swami Vivekananda
(Delivered in San Francisco, on May 29, 1900)
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita III

DO NOT SEEK HELP FROM ANYONE - THIS IS THE LAST AND GREATEST LESSON

It is a tremendous error to feel helpless. Do not seek help from anyone. We are our own help. If we cannot help ourselves, there is none to help us. ... "Thou thyself art thy only friend, thou thyself thy only enemy. There is no other enemy but this self of mine, no other friend but myself."[22] This is the last and greatest lesson, and Oh, what a time it takes to learn it! We seem to get hold of it, and the next moment the old wave comes. The backbone breaks. We weaken and again grasp for that superstition and help. Just think of that huge mass of misery, and all caused by this false idea of going to seek for help!

- Swami Vivekananda
(Delivered in San Francisco, on May 29, 1900)
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita III

WHAT MAKES THE VALUE OF ANYTHING IN LIFE ? NOT ENJOYMENT, NOT POSSESSIONS

What makes the value of anything in life? Not enjoyment, not possessions. Analyse everything. You will find there is no value except in experience, to teach us something. And in many cases it is our hardships that give us better experience than enjoyment. Many times blows give us better experience than the caresses of nature.... Even famine has its place and value....

- Swami Vivekananda
The Gita III (Delivered in San Francisco, on May 29, 1900)
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita III