Sri Ramakrishna

Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge.

Those who are not encumbered at all with learning.

That is to say, whose minds are not overcrowded with thoughts borrowed from others.

And those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences,

have come to realize that they know nothing.

So long as one does not become simple like a child, one does not get divine illumination.

Forget all the worldly knowledge that you have acquired and become as a child

And then you will get divine wisdom.

For what is the use of merely listening to lectures?

The real thing is practice.

It is easy to talk on religion.

but difficult to practice it.

Common people talk bagfuls of religion,

but do not practice even a grain of it.

The wise person speaks a little, even though their whole life is religion expressed in action.

Too much study of the scriptures does more harm than good.

The important thing is to know the essence of the scriptures.

After that, what is the need of books?

One should learn the essence and then dive deep in order to realize God.

So long as the bee is outside the petals of the lily and has not tasted the sweetness of its honey, it hovers around the flower emitting the buzzing sound.