Quotations by Author

Kahlil Gibran

Say not, 'I have found the truth' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.

Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes.

The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.

Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.

A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself... You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams."

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility; never an opportunity.

Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you.

Education sows not seeds in you, but makes your seeds grow.

Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.

If you are poor, shun association with him who measures men with the yardstick of riches.

Where can I find a man governed by reason instead of habits and urges?

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

When you have solved all the mysteries of life you long for death, for it is but another mystery of life.

To be closer to God, be closer to people.

The reality of the other person lies not in what he reveals to you but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.

The truly religious man does not embrace a religion; and he who embraces one has no religion.

Our worst fault is our preoccupation with the faults of others.

History does not repeat itself except in the minds of those who do not know history.

Man merely discovers' he never can and never will invent.

We fear death, yet we long for slumber and beautiful dreams.

Your confidence in the people, and your doubt about them, are closely related to your self-confidence and your self-doubt.

Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly, "one must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower.

Art is a step from what is obvious and well-known toward what is arcane and concealed.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain.

I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.

Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.

Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.

A poet is a bird of unearthly excellence, who escapes from his celestial realm arrives in this world warbling. If we do not cherish him, he spreads his wings and flies back into his homeland.

Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.

Yes, there is a Nirvanah; it is leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.

Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly, "one must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower."

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself, Love possesses not nor would it be possessed: For love is sufficient unto love.

Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully.To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; to return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.