Some men, who begin by saying that the world is a hell, often end by saying that it is a heaven when they succeed in the practice of self-control.
Swami VivekanandaWe know how often in our lives through laziness and cowardice we give up the battle and try to hypnotise our minds into the belief that we are brave.
Swami VivekanandaThose who have succeeded in attaching or detaching their minds at will have succeeded in Pratyahara, which means gathering towards, checking the outgoing powers of the mind, freeing it from the thralldom of the senses. When we can do this, we shall really possess character; then alone we shall have taken a long step towards freedom. Before that, we are mere machines.
Swami Vivekananda