This is a selection from the writings and addresses of Swami Vireswarananda, the 10th President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Though the lectures and essays comprising this book belong to different years and contexts, all of them deal with the burning problem of the modern age � the quest for an ideal that can guide us through the stormy sea of life. They contain many illuminating insights into spiritual matters and also provide practical hints to live a spiritual life in today's modern world.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything shall be added unto you. This is the one great duty, this is renunciation. Live for an ideal, and leave no place in the mind for anything else. Let us put forth all our energies to acquire that which never fails--our spiritual perfection. If we have true yearning for realization, we must struggle, and through struggle growth will come. We shall make mistakes, but they may be angels unawares.
-Swami Vivekananda