Vivekananda taught that if one has a selfless, noble, thought—even deep in a cave, such thought creates vibrations that affect the entire world—and accomplishes what can be accomplished.
RAMANA MAHARSHI, VEDANTA (HINDU)
It is my nature to love Him, so I love. I don't pray for anything, or ask for anything. I just let Him do with me as He wills.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, VEDANTA (HINDU)
What is prayer other than a projection of yourself into the ether? If it comforts you to tell of your darkness to the cosmos, or if it is your delight to pour forth your joy, then let your soul call you again and again to prayer—so that you might weep and weep, until your sorrow turns to joy.
KAHLIL GIBRAN
I kneel in the universal temple of my heart. I pray at the altar where walls and names do not exist.
RABI'A AL-ADAWIYYA, SUFI
The prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that he is praying.
ST. ANTHONY, ROMAN CATHOLIC
Prayer is the key to the morning And the bolt of the evening.
MAHATMA GANDHI
In sacred hymns and order, the great chime and symphony of nature, Prayer is the world in tune, a spirit-voice, whose echo is heaven's bliss.
HENRY VAUGHN
The most powerful form of prayer is the one that does not seek its own interest, but is simply immersed in God's will.
MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC
If you pray with sincerity, your prayers are already answered—otherwise you have gained nothing. Prayers that are mere repetition, or the words of another, are worthless.
HAKIM ABU-AL-MAJD, SUFI
When you pray, do not pray as the hypocrites do, for they love to stand in public and on the street corners so that they can be seen by others. This is their reward. Rather, when you pray, go into your secret chamber and shut your door. And your Father, who is in secret and hears in secret, will reward you openly. And in praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
JESUS
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.
REINHOLD NIEBUHR, PROTESTANT
In prayer, while a man's mouth and lips are moving, his heart and will must soar to the height of heights, so as to acknowledge the unity of the whole, in virtue of the mystery of mysteries in which all ideas, all wills, and all thoughts, find their goal.
THE ZOHAR, JEWISH
May He who is known in all religions lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness into light, from death to immortality. And may He manifest himself in us as love.
SWAMI AKHILANANDA, VEDANTA (HINDU)
I pray to that Mystery that makes no distinctions.
DERVA DASIMAYYA, VEDANTA (HINDU)
I have learned to pray thus: You, my very soul, trust in me, for I shall never betray you.
RAINER MARIA RILKE
Let your mind be filled with Me, and become devoted to Me. Unite your heart with Mine. See Me as the ultimate Goal. Filled with Me, you will come to Me.
KRISHNA, THE BHAGAVAD GITA, VEDANTA (HINDU)
I sing my love for You.
I repeat Your name without ceasing.
I bring Your glory into my heart.
I am the lotus of love floating on the waters of God.
When I repeat your name and I find life.
When I forget, I die.
GURU NANAK, VEDANTA (HINDU)
Lord, let us empty ourselves of doctrines.
LAO TZU, TAOIST
May I be free from fear.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be happy.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May you be free from fear.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May all people everywhere be happy and filled with loving kindness.
BUDDHIST PRAYER
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it.
I believe in God even when He/She is silent.
JEWISH PRAYER
You, whose light penetrates the darkness and dispels all illusions, pour forth upon us Your perfect love, Your supreme joy and Your everlasting peace.
SUFI PRAYER
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light.
O divine master, may I not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be loved as to love, to be understood as to understand. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying, that we are born to eternal life.
FRANCIS OF ASSISI, ROMAN CATHOLIC
May all living beings, both visible and invisible, those far from us and near, those living in the world and those waiting to be born—attain inner peace.
THE BUDDHA
When praying, it is more worthwhile to lift up a heart without words, than it is to speak words without heart.
MAHATMA GANDHI
May we, in mutual love, become one spirit with Him.
BEATRICE OF NAZARETH, ROMAN CATHOLIC
From the point of light within the Mind of God, let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let light descend on earth.
ALICE BAILEY AND DJWHAL KHUL, THEOSOPHY
We give thanks to You! Every soul and heart is lifted up to You, From you, our Father, comes all fatherly kindness. From You, our Mother, residing in the womb of all beings and pregnant with the All, comes all love. Grant us mind so that we may perceive You, speech so that we may speak of You, knowledge so that we may know You. Of Thee we ask only one thing: that we may be steadfast in our love, and stumble not upon the path to You.
FROM THE HERMETIC PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
In reverence, we offer sweet blooming flowers which today are fresh and sweet and tomorrow, like our bodies, will pass away. We offer candles so that Your light may shine in the hearts of all beings. We offer incense so that Your sweet fragrance may spread throughout the world.
FROM THE PALI CANON, THERAVADA BUDDHIST
You who are Light, enlighten us.
You who are Wisdom, help us to be wise.
You who are all Strength, make us strong.
We ask only that we may know your truth and follow it with a simple heart.
CATHERINE OF SIENA, ROMAN CATHOLIC
Give me profound thoughts and elevated dreams. Let me have few words and guide me on the narrow Path, so that at the end of my journey I might find peace.
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN, SUFI
Let me protect the helpless, guide the traveler, enlighten those in darkness, and provide shelter for those who are homeless. Let me be a servant of all, and a bridge for those who want to cross over to the other shore.
MAHAYANA BUDDHIST PRAYER