As a knower of Brahman, Vijnanananda could read others’ minds. The scripture says: “Tell the truth, but don’t tell a harsh truth. However, if you love a person tell the harsh truth.” Vijnanananda told people, when asked, what was good for them. Sometimes his words were pleasant and sometimes unpleasant. It was not posssible for him to flatter anyone or to utter an agreeable falsehood for the sake of courtesy. Once a fashionable modern girl came to the ashrama and sat abruptly in front of the swami. She then posed a question, “What is your advice to us?” His typical answer was, “Eat much, talk much, and quarrel much.” The girl was very embarrassed. Perhaps Vijnanananda sensed her quarrelsome nature, and intended for his sharp answer to remind her not to quarrel the rest of her life. (Source: God Lived with Them)