- Lived:
- 1863–1902 · Calcutta, the roads of India, Chicago, New York, London — and back
- Tradition:
- Modern Vedānta; universalist spirituality — ancient Indian non-dualism retooled for the modern world
- The Big Idea:
- Every soul is potentially divine, so religion is not belief but realization — and if the divine is in everyone, then serving your neighbor, especially the poorest, is the truest worship of God.
- In their words:
- "Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached."
- If you remember one thing:
- An unknown Indian monk stood up in Chicago in 1893, said "Sisters and Brothers of America," and in that moment the oldest philosophy in this book stepped onto the modern world stage.