Interviewer: What was your first impression of Americans?

Sri Chinmoy: The first impression that I had, I still maintain right now: that Americans are eager to learn, eager to make inner progress. Outer achievement they have. Nobody can compare with them in outer achievement. It is not that because I am in America I am flattering you. No, it is my day-to-day experience and my firm inner conviction that in terms of the outer world’s achievement, America far surpasses all other countries in the world. But again, Americans feel the need for something which they do not have, and that thing is called fulfilment of the inner hunger. Their outer hunger they have fulfilled, but their inner hunger they have not yet fulfilled. When I came to America, I saw that here people need something which unfortunately they have neglected for many, many centuries. They need inner peace, inner love, inner joy, inner satisfaction. So I tried and I am still trying to be of service to them.