Healing Quotes from Amma, the 'Hugging Saint'

Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately known as Amma (Mother), has endeared herself to tens of millions all over the world through her extraordinary acts of selflessness and love in these troubled times.

Amma offers her compassion to the world through her darshan, or blessing, which she shares in the form of a motherly hug. Sometimes referred to as the “Hugging Saint," over the past 30 years Amma has embraced more than 27 million people across the globe. In addition, she has initiated a vast network of charitable activities such as hospitals, educational institutions, disaster relief programs, free homes for the poor, orphanages, and much more. Let yourself feel hugged by her words of love and wisdom.

Photos and text courtesy of Amma.org.

We Each Reflect the Same Sun

“The sun shines down, and its image reflects in a thousand different pots filled with water. The reflections are many, but they are each reflecting the same sun. Similarly, when we come to know who we truly are, we will see ourselves in all people."

Express Love Through Action

"True happiness is when the love that is within us finds expression in external activities."

Use Your Talents

"The greatest tragedy in life is not death; the greatest tragedy takes place when our talents and capabilities are underutilized and allowed to rust while we are living.”

The Aim of Devotion

"The aim of devotion and prayer is to develop love for everyone."

True Religion Must Be Absorbed

“You cannot taste the sweetness of honey by licking a piece of paper on which the word ‘honey’ has been written. Likewise, the principles described in the religious texts must be contemplated, meditated upon, and finally realized.”

Put Down Your Burden

“When we think that God is with us, all our burdens will be lessened. Once we have entered a boat or bus, why should we continue to carry the luggage? Put it down.”

Contentment is in the Mind

"Contentment and happiness depend solely on the mind, not on external objects or circumstances."

Love Has No Limits

“Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations of caste, religion, race, or nationality. We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love. To awaken this unity--and to spread to others the love that is our inherent nature--is the true goal of human life."

Unite Your Heart and Intellect

"The intellect always cuts and divides like a pair of scissors. The heart sews things together and unites like a needle. The tailor uses both."

Everything Nourishes Our Growth

 “There is nothing in this world that hasn’t nourished our growth in one way or another.”

Bliss is Already in You

"A musk deer searches for the source of the fragrance of musk, but it won't find it because the fragrance comes from within itself. Bliss is not to be found outside of us; it exists within us."

God Will Come to You

“For every step you take toward God, God will take a hundred steps toward you.”

You Can Love All Equally

“God-realization is nothing but the ability and expansiveness of the heart to love everything equally.”

Service Sustains the World

“Real service is the power that sustains this world. When human beings serve nature, nature serves human beings.”

Distance is No Barrier to Love

"Though the sun is thousands of miles away, still the lotus blooms. Distance is no barrier."