The Gospel of Strength - Swami Vivekananda

We human beings are very slow to recognise our own weakness, our own
faults, so long as we can lay the blame upon somebody else. Men in
general lay all the blame of life on their fellow-men, or, failing
that, on God, or they conjure up a ghost, and say it is fate. Where is
fate, and what is fate? We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our
own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise.

You know in your inmost heart that many of your limited ideas, this
humbling of yourself and praying and weeping to imaginary beings are
superstitions. Tell me one case where these prayers have been
answered. All the answers that came were from your own hearts.

In your ignorance, every prayer that you made and that was answered,
you thought was answered by some being, but you answered the prayer
yourself unknowingly. The help came from yourself, and you fondly
imagined that someone was sending help to you. There is no help for
you outside of yourself; you are the creator of the universe... These
are words that will burn up the dross that is in the mind, words that
will bring out the tremendous energy which is within you already, the
infinite power which is sleeping in your heart.