Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts. - Paramahansa Yogananda
—What lingers after this line?
Inner Radiance
This quote highlights the concept of inner radiance. Paramahansa Yogananda suggests that the soul has a natural ability to generate joy and positivity, which radiates through the heart and is visible in one's eyes.
Emotional Expression
It emphasizes the importance of expressing positive emotions. By letting the soul’s happiness flow through the heart and eyes, one can impact others positively.
Empathy and Compassion
The quote encourages empathy and compassion. Sharing our own happiness can uplift others, especially those who are feeling down or sad.
Healing Power of Smiles
Smiling can be a powerful tool to spread joy and heal emotional wounds. Seeing someone smile can bring comfort and support to those who are experiencing sadness.
Spiritual Perspective
Coming from Paramahansa Yogananda, a spiritual teacher, the quote also implies a deeper spiritual connection. It suggests that allowing one's soul to influence others through simple acts like smiling is a form of spiritual practice.
Legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian yogi and guru, is known for his teachings on meditation and self-realization. His teachings focused on inner peace and spreading positive energy, which is reflected in this quote.
Recommended Reading
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
One-minute reflection
What does this quote ask you to notice today?
Related Quotes
6 selectedIn the quiet of our own hearts, we find the strength to hold space for others, and in doing so, we find our own belonging. — Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers begins with an inward movement, suggesting that strength does not always arrive through force or performance but through quiet reflection. In the stillness of our own hearts, we become more aware of our fears...
Read full interpretation →Real craftsmanship, regardless of the skill involved, reflects real caring, and real caring reflects our attitude about ourselves, about our fellowmen, and about life. — Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball’s statement begins by reframing craftsmanship as something deeper than technical competence.
Read full interpretation →Sharpen your mind with action and temper your will with mercy — C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis’s line works like a paired instruction: cultivate a mind that cuts cleanly, and shape a will that does not crush.
Read full interpretation →You are the stillness beneath the mental noise. You are the love and joy beneath the pain. — Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle’s line points to a radical reframe of identity: you are not the stream of thoughts that narrates your day, and you are not the ache that arises when life hurts. Instead, he suggests there is a deeper “you”...
Read full interpretation →Lasting change requires compassion alongside courage, not punishment disguised as self-improvement. — Brené Brown
Brené Brown
Brené Brown’s line challenges the common belief that harshness is the fastest route to transformation. Instead, she argues that durable change is built from two forces working together: the courage to face what must shif...
Read full interpretation →Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion. — Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield’s line begins with a quiet reversal: rather than escaping sorrow and wounds, he suggests healing starts when we face them directly. The word “only” is doing important work here—it implies that avoidance ma...
Read full interpretation →More From Author
More from Paramahansa Yogananda →The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success. — Paramahansa Yogananda
Yogananda’s image of a “season of failure” invites us to treat setbacks not as isolated disasters but as part of a natural cycle. Just as winter looks barren yet prepares the soil for spring, periods of defeat strip away...
Read full interpretation →Be as simple as you can be; you will be amazed to see how uncomplicated and happy your life will become. — Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda’s words invite us to experiment with a different way of living: instead of adding more, we deliberately choose less. He suggests that simplicity is not a loss but a doorway, and that by stepping thr...
Read full interpretation →Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable. — Paramahansa Yogananda
The quote highlights the importance of maintaining consistent effort over time to achieve desired outcomes.
Read full interpretation →Stillness is the altar of spirit. — Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda’s statement, 'Stillness is the altar of spirit,' employs the metaphor of an altar—a hallowed place for worship—to emphasize the sanctity of inner quiet. By equating stillness with an altar, he intim...
Read full interpretation →