Much of our daily life is spent in work or in other outward activities, and our minds often become engrossed in what we are doing at the expense of the thought of God. Some sort of exercise is needed to help us form the habit of feeling His presence in everything we do.

That is what teaching should mean—not telling people what they should do or know, but offering the fruits of one’s own living in the humble hope that what one says will in some way prove useful in their lives.

Victory is always desirable, but to define victory in terms of egoic fulfillments, and to claim personal credit every inch of the way, is almost an insult to spiritual truth. In a deeper sense it is even a kind of defeat.

Remember, when your love for God becomes a constant, silent yearning of your heart, all other things will melt away like morning mist before the rising sun.

Worry-consciousness not only creates problems where none really exist, but actually interferes with one’s efforts to resolve problems where they do exist.

Yoga techniques are a means of self-improvement, that we might make ourselves a more fit instrument to receive and express God’s love.

Remember, your body changes constantly. If you will change your mental “picture,” the incoming cells will fit themselves to the new pattern.

Drugs seem to inspire a sort of spiritual self-centeredness, an attachment to experiences, that is the very opposite of self-giving. In the long run, they actually reduce one’s sensitivity to reality as a whole.

Love, to me, means consciousness reaching out to embrace the universe, not merely a human emotion that confines the heart to one or to a few human beings.

If people treat us harshly despite our present kindness to them, it is because the seeds of harshness have not been completely erased from our own consciousness.

It seems far better to trust in Him, and to try to follow His guidance, rather than to get sidetracked in the questionable truths of astral beings who purportedly speak to us through mediums.

It is a mistake to think that you will ever find the perfect mate. Life, outwardly, cannot be other than a compromise between the ideal and reality.

Yoga makes us more aware of ourselves as bodies of energy, not merely of material substance. The more aware we become that we are energy, the greater control we have in our lives.

What exactly do we mean by saying we have been given free will? If all actions are done by God, how are we free?

People like working with others who like working with them. It’s that simple! It will be the cornerstone of anything you build of your own happiness and fulfillment.

If we understand that, by loving, it is God’s love we express, He will surely flow through any barrier we erect of ego and self-interest, and uplift significantly the consciousness of the world.

In my relationship with Master, I have found that I’m the most in tune with him when I don’t have the thought of what I’m getting from him, but dwell rather in the thought of what I’m giving to him.

Divine friendship is something one rarely encounters in the world, where everyone seems to want only to justify his own actions and character.

Don’t think of your body as your own. It is God’s body, from which at least the consciousness of illness must be banished.

God doesn’t treat those who love Him in the same soft way He treats others.

When one receives visions and voices on the spiritual path, it is very difficult to distinguish how real they are. My strong advice to you is that you not give them too much attention.

The most important sign of spiritual advancement is that your love for God is growing ever deeper, and you feel selfless joy in the thought of Him.

I do not believe that superconscious experiences can be induced by hypnotic suggestion.

The modern mind—especially the modern American mind—thinks that bigger is better. Why should this be so? There is no rivalry in God.

Illness has its challenges (as you well know), but at the moment of death itself, though, there’s no pain at all.

Paramhansa Yogananda often said that spiritual truths must be made to apply on all three levels—physical, mental, and spiritual.

It’s right and true to recognize one’s own fallibility—true strength and guidance come only from God. When we have faith in Him, everything turns out for the best.

Human love is fulfilling only when it is self-giving, not grasping, and seeks fulfillment in the joy of another.

Joy and suffering depend entirely on attitudes of the mind. The poorest beggar has found bliss when his attitude was right.

Guidance rarely comes to us when we sit back and wait for it. The secret of attracting guidance is to raise one’s level of energy.