Swami Vivekananda's sublime message has come down to the world mostly through his extempore addresses. It was Goodwin who took down the words hot from the lips of the great Swami and passed them on to mankind, for which the world will ever remain indebted to him. This book describes how at the touch of the Swami the soul of Goodwin got awakened and he was transformed into an all-sacrificing disciple.
Those 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