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Reflection
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Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms.
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Philosophy of Logic"
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Religion
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If the grandfather of the grandfather of Jesus had known what was hidden within him, he would have stood humble and awe-struck before his soul.
-Kahlil Gibran, "A Handful of Sand on the Shore"
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I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Voice of the Poet"
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Cast aside those who liken godliness to whimsy and who try to combine their greed for wealth with their desire for a happy afterlife.
-Kahlil Gibran, "Beauty"
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Revolution
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Rebellion without truth is like spring in a bleak, arid desert.
-Kahlil Gibran, The Vision
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Safety
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The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house as a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Secrets
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If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.
-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
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Service
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Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country?
-Kahlil Gibran, The New Frontier
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Shyness
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What difference is there between us, save a restless dream that follows my soul but fears to come near you?
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Captive King"
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Silence
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Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Simplicity
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The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Soul
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I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end.
-Kahlil Gibran, "Anthem of Humanity"
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Suffering
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Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Teaching
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The teacher gives not of his wisdom, but rather of his faith and lovingness.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Time
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Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.
-Kahlil Gibran, "Children of Gods, Scions of Apes"
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Truth
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Say not, I have found the truth, but rather, I have found a truth.
-Kahlil Gibran
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War
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Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Voice of the Poet"
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Wealth
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Poverty is a veil that obscures the face of greatness. An appeal is a mask covering the face of tribulation.
-Kahlil Gibran, "A Handful of Sand on the Shore"
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Wisdom
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Wisdom stands at the turn in the road and calls upon us publicly, but we consider it false and despise its adherents.
-Kahlil Gibran, "Between Reality and Fantasy"
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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.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Work
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Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
-Kahlil Gibran
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Books by and about Kahlil Gibran