Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian monk, yogi, and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India, and who lived his last 32 years in America. A chief disciple of the Bengali yoga guru Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, he was sent by his lineage to spread the teachings of yoga to the West, to prove the unity between Eastern and Western religions, and to reach a balance between Western material growth and Indian spirituality. His long-standing influence in the American yoga movement, and especially the yoga culture of Los Angeles, led him to be considered by yoga experts as the “Father of Yoga in the West.” These Paramahansa Yogananda quotes will inspire you.
Best Paramahansa Yogananda Quotes
- “Millions of people never analyze themselves. Mentally they are mechanical products of the factory of their environment, preoccupied with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, working and sleeping, and going here and there to be entertained. They don’t know what or why they are seeking, nor why they never realize complete happiness and lasting satisfaction. By evading self-analysis, people go on being robots, conditioned by their environment. True self-analysis is the greatest art of progress.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Don’t depend on death to liberate you from your imperfections. You are exactly the same after death as you were before. Nothing changes; you only give up the body. If you are a thief or a liar or a cheater before death, you don’t become an angel merely by dying. If such were possible, then let us all go and jump in the ocean now and become angels at once! Whatever you have made of yourself thus far, so will you be hereafter. And when you reincarnate, you will bring that same nature with you. To change, you have to make the effort. This world is the place to do it.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “If you want to be sad, no one in the world can make you happy. But if you make up your mind to be happy, no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. . . Live each moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each moment.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Play your part in life, but never forget it is only a role.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “It is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “When the mind is calm, how quickly, how smoothly, how beautifully you will perceive everything.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “I am a spark from the Infinite.
I am not flesh and bones.
I am light.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda - “It is not your passing thoughts or brilliant ideas so much as your plain everyday habits that control your life….Live simply. Don’t get caught in the machine of the world— it is too exacting. By the time you get what you are seeking your nerves are gone, the heart is damaged, and the bones are aching. Resolve to develop your spiritual powers more earnestly from now on. Learn the art of right living. If you have joy you have everything,so learn to be glad and contented….Have happiness now.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Be kind to others, so that you may learn the secret art of being kind to yourself.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “When you came into this world you cried, whereas everyone else rejoiced. During your lifetime, work and serve in such a way that when it is time for you to leave this world, you will smile at parting while the world cries for you. Hold this thought and you will always remember to consider others above yourself.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Mind is the creator of everything. You should therefore guide it to create only good. If you cling to a certain thought with dynamic will power, it finally assumes a tangible outward form. When you are able to employ your will always for constructive purposes, you become the controller of your destiny.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Divisions are imaginary lines drawn by small minds.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Your trials did not come to punish you, but to awaken you – to make you realise that you are a part of Spirit and that just behind the sparks of your life is the Flame of Infinity.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Seclusion is the price of greatness.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Those persons who have perceptive eyes enjoy beauty everywhere.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Most of the world is like a mental hospital. Some persons are sick with jealousy, others with anger, hatred, passion. They are victims of their habits and emotions. But you can make your home a place of peace.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda , Paramahansa Yogananda quotes on life
- “Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Strengthen your mind and refuse to carry the burden of mental and moral weakness acquired in past years; burn them in the fires of your present divine resolutions and right activities. By this constructive attitude, you will attain freedom.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“He who conquers the mind conquers the world.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “In the state of love, no matter what you do, it’s going to be good.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda , Paramahansa Yogananda quotes on love
- “Do not take life’s experiences too seriously. For in reality they are nothing but dream experiences. Play your part in life, but never forget that it is only a role.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Truth is not afraid of questions.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“A saint is a sinner who never gave up.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Never count your faults. Just see that your love for God is deeply sincere. For God doesn’t mind your imperfections: He minds your indifference.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda , Paramahansa Yogananda quotes on god
- “When you learn to get along with yourself, you will know how to get along with everybody.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Come into the silence of solitude, and the vibration there will talk to you through the voice of God.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Fear was given to man as a cautionary device to spare him pain; it is not mean to be cultivated and abused.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Every tomorrow is determined by every today.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Success is hastened or delayed by one’s habits. It is not your passing inspirations or brilliant ideas so much as your everyday mental habits that control your life.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “I am a spark from the Infinite. I am not flesh and bones. I am light. In helping others to succeed I shall find my own prosperity. In the welfare of others I shall find my own well-being. I am infinite. I am spaceless, I am tireless; I am beyond body thought, and utterance; beyond all matter and mind. I am endless bliss.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “It doesn’t matter if a cave has been in darkness for 10,000 years or half an hour, once you light a match it is illuminated.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “If you possess happiness you possess everything: to be happy is to be in tune with God.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Stillness is the altar of spirit.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Change your life by changing your thoughts.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “What you are is much greater than anything or anyone else you have ever yearned for. God is manifest in you in a way that He is not manifest in any other human being. Your face is unlike anyone else’s, your soul is unlike anyone else’s, you are sufficient unto yourself; for within your soul lies the greatest treasure of all – God.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “By the practice of meditation, you will find that you are carrying within your heart a portable paradise.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda , Paramahansa Yogananda quotes on meditation
- “Through every trial we grow. All suffering we experience has a meaning. Though it seems very cruel, it is like the fire that smelts the iron ore: the steel that emerges from that furnace is beautifully strong, useful for many purposes.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“With right attitude, life is very simple and very easy.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “At physical death man loses his consciousness of the flesh and becomes conscious of his astral body in the astral world. Thus physical death is astral birth. Later, he passes from the consciousness of luminous astral birth to the consciousness of dark astral death and awakens in a new physical body. Thus astral death is physical birth. These recurrent cycles of physical and astral encasements are the ineluctable destiny of all unenlightened men.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda , Paramahansa Yogananda quotes on death
- “Be honest with yourself. The world is not honest with you. The world loves hypocrisy. When you are honest with yourself you find the road to inner peace.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“If circumstances are bad and you have to bear them, do not make them a part of yourself.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “The purpose of the guru is not to weaken your will. It is to teach you secrets of developing your inner power, until you can stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “You do not have to struggle to reach God, but you do have to struggle to tear away the self-created veil that hides him from you” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “The wave is the same as the ocean, though it is not the whole ocean. So each wave of creation is a part of the eternal Ocean of Spirit. The Ocean can exist without the waves, but the waves cannot exist without the Ocean.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Having lots of money while not having inner peace is like dying of thirst while bathing in the ocean.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “No one appears on our stage unless the director has placed them there for our benefit” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Through the portals of silence the healing sun of wisdom and peace will shine upon you.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Meet everybody and every circumstance on the battlefield of life with the courage of a hero and the smile of a conqueror.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Sing songs that none have sung, think thoughts that ne’er in the brain have rung,
Walk in paths that none have trod, weep tears as none have shed for God,
Give peace to all to whom none other gave,
Claim him your own who’s everywhere disclaimed.
Love all with love that none have felt and
Brave the battle of life with strength unchained.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda - “Fearlessness means faith in God: faith in his protection, His justice, His wisdom, His mercy, His love, and His Omnipresence… To be fit for Self-realization man must be fearless.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
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“Environment is stronger than will.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “To love those that love you is easy. To love those that love you not is not so simple. If you want to change anyone, set a better example. Show more kindness, more understanding, more love. That has a
sure effect. To those who are not kind, show kindness. To those who are mean, show bigness of heart.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda - “Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to change them when you realize that each thought creates according to its own nature. Remember that the law works at all times and that you are always demonstrating according to the kind of thoughts you habitually entertain. Therefore, start now to think only those thoughts that will bring you health and happiness.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- “He who knows his soul knows this truth:
” I am beyond everything finite; I I now see that the Spirit, alone in a space with Its ever-new joy, has expressed Itself as the vast body of nature.
I am the stars,
I am the waves,
I am the Life of all,
I am the laughter within all hearts,
I am the smile on the faces of the flowers and in each soul.
I am the Wisdom and Power that sustain all creation. “” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda - “The greatest romance is with the Infinite.
You have no idea how beautiful life can be.
When you suddenly find God everywhere,
when He comes and talks to you and guides you,
the romance of divine love has begun.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda - “People are running, running, but there is no place in the world to which they can flee to escape themselves. Ultimately, each one must face himself.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
