Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that before one can come to spiritual life one must be utterly frustrated with the material energy and he has to come to a point where he realises that, ‘I am a failure and I haven’t made it.’ As long as you think you’re going to make it in this world then spiritual life will be difficult. But when we actually realise that, ‘no, I’m a failure, I haven’t made it….’ then that’s the beginning point where one can really take off in spiritual life….
(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 16 September 2011, Durban, SA)