The Prophet (Vintage International)

by Kahlil Gibran

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

When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth s...

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

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For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

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

Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?

fear of losing what you have causes you to lose yourself

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;

They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.

Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?

Work is love made visible.

For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean.

that which they bring, though fashioned of dreams, is raiment and food for your soul.

“God rests in reason.”

“God moves in passion.”

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

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another man.

And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered.

And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand.