"Be Brave" — Swami Vivekananda's Suggestions ~ Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Swami Vivekananda suggested to try to become brave. He wanted his children (followers) to be brave, "above all". In this article we'll make a collection of Swami Vivekananda's quotations in which he directly suggested/asked to become brave.

Note, we have some articles in this series,. such as "Swami Vivekananda's quotes on becoming strong", "Swami Vivekananda's quotes on becoming sincere". Please visit the "Contents" section of this website to explore other articles of this website.

Be Brave

Be bold! My children should be brave, above all.
Not the least compromise on any account.

—Swami Vivekananda

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

All is good! Be brave and face everything — come good, come evil, both welcome, both of you my play. I have no good to attain, no ideal to clench up to, no ambition to fulfil; I, the diamond mine, am playing with pebbles, good and evil; good for you — evil, come; good for you-good, you come too. If the universe tumbles round my ears, what is that to me? I am Peace that passeth understanding; understanding only gives us good or evil. I am beyond, I am peace.^[Source]
Be a man first, my friend, and you will see how all those things and the rest will follow of themselves after you. Give up that hateful malice, that dog-like bickering and barking at one another, and take your stand on goal purpose, right means, righteous courage, and be brave When you are born a man, leave some indelible mark behind you.^[Source]
Be bold! My children should be brave, above all. Not the least compromise on any account.^[Source]
Be brave and be sincere; then follow any path with devotion, and you must reach the Whole. Once lay hold of one link of the chain, and the whole chain must come by degrees. Water the roots of the tree (that is, reach the Lord), and the whole tree is watered; getting the Lord, we get all.^[Source]
Be brave, be brave! Man dies but once. My disciples must not be cowards.^[Source]
Be cheerful, be brave, bathe daily, have patience, purity, and perseverance, then you will become a Yogi in truth. Never try to hurry, and if the higher powers come, remember that they are but side - paths. Do not let them tempt you from the main road; put them aside and hold fast to your only true aim -- god. Seek only the Eternal, finding which we are at rest for ever; having the all, nothing is left to strive for, and we are for ever in free and perfect existence -- existence absolute, Knowledge absolute, Bliss absolute.^[Source]
Be moral. Be brave. Be a heart-whole man. Strictly moral, brave unto desperation. Don't bother your head with religious theories. Cowards only sin, brave men never, no, not even in mind. Try to love anybody and everybody.^[Source]
Bear in mind, my children, that only cowards and those who are weak commit sin and tell lies. The brave are always moral. Try to be moral, try to be brave, try to be sympathising.^[Source]
I once read a story about some ships that were caught in a cyclone in the South Sea Islands, and there was a picture of it in the Illustrated London News. All of them were wrecked except one English vessel, which weathered the storm. The picture showed the men who were going to be drowned, standing on the decks and cheering the people who were sailing through the storm. Be brave and generous like that. Do not drag others down to where you are.^[Source]
Let us then be brave and sincere: whatever path we follow with devotion, must take us to freedom. Once lay hold of one link of the chain and the whole must come after it by degrees. Water the root of the tree and the whole tree is watered. It is of little advantage to waste time to water each leaf.^[Source]
To avoid these calamities we must always keep the wealth of our own home before our eyes, so that every one down to the masses may always know and see what his own ancestral property is. We must exert ourselves to do that; and side by side, we should be brave to open our doors to receive all available light from outside. Let rays of light come in, in sharp-driving showers from the four quarters of the earth; let the intense flood of light flow in from the West — what of that? Whatever is weak and corrupt is liable to die — what are we to do with it? If it goes, let it go, what harm does it do to us? What is strong and invigorating is immortal. Who can destroy that?^[Source]
We do not seek wealth, name or fame. . . . Be brave. . . .^[Source]
We must be bold enough, must be brave enough to speak of their defects, but at the same time we must give the credit that is due to them. Remember the old English proverb, "Give every man his due".^[Source]
Work on! Hold on! Be brave! Dare anything and everything!^[Source]