Thinkers of the East Quotes

“It is not Sufism if it does not perform its function for you. A cloak is no longer a cloak if it does not keep a man warm.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Ali, Son of the Father of the Seeker
Ali said: 'None may arrive at the Truth until he is able to think that the Path itself may be wrong. This is because those who can only believe that it must be right are not believers, but people who are incapable of thinking otherwise than they already think. Such people are not men at all. Like animals they must follow certain beliefs, and during this time they cannot learn. Because they cannot be called “humanity”, they cannot arrive at the Truth.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“The Book of Wisdom. Simab said: 'I shall sell the Book of Wisdom for a hundred gold pieces, and some people will say that it is cheap.' Yunus Marmar said to him: 'And I shall give away the key to understanding it, and almost none shall take it, even free of charge.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Never follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Wisdom
Sufian said:
'The wisdom which is invisible but which sustains is a hundred times better than the appearance of wisdom, for that has itself to be sustained.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Do not dwell upon whether you will put yourself into the hands of a teacher. You are always in his hands.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“You will always have doubts, but only discover them at a useful time for your weakness to point them out.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“When you feel least interested in following the Way which you have entered, this may be the time when it is most appropriate for you.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“They asked Abboud of Omdurman: 'Which is better, to be young or to be old?' He said: 'To be old is to have less time before you and more mistakes behind. I leave you to decide whether this is better than the reverse.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Debating whether one trusts or not is a sign that one does not want to trust at all, and therefore is still incapable of it.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“People change and needs change. So what was Sufism once is Sufism no more.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Alí, hijo del padre del buscador
Alí dijo: “Nadie puede llegar a la Verdad hasta que sea capaz de pensar que el sendero mismo pueda estar equivocado. Esto es así porque aquellos que sólo pueden creer que debe ser correcto no son creyentes, sino gente incapaz de pensar de un modo diferente del que ya piensan. Esta gente no son hombres, en modo alguno. Como animales, deben seguir ciertas creencias, y durante este período no pueden aprender. Y puesto que no pueden llamarse 'humanidad', tampoco pueden llegar a la Verdad.”
― Idries Shah, Pensadores de oriente

“If you are mean, practise generosity as a corrective, not as a virtue.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“In countries where there are no horses, donkeys are called horses.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Reconocer a un Maestro Verdadero es posible sólo cuando el postulante, hombre o mujer, es lo que llamamos “sincero”.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Recognizing a 'True Master' is possible only when the postulant, man or woman, is what we call 'sincere'.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Debatir si uno confía o no es señal de que uno no quiere confiar en modo alguno, y, por lo tanto, es aún incapaz de ello.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“No le des vueltas al asunto de si vas a ponerte o no en las manos de un maestro. Siempre estás en sus manos.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Si renuncias a un sendero, es porque estabas esperando convicción de él. Buscas convicción, no autoconocimiento.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“If you forsake a path, it is because you were hoping for conviction from it. You seek conviction, not self-knowledge.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Siempre tendrás dudas, pero sólo las descubrirás en los momentos que tu debilidad aproveche para señalarlas.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Cuando te sientas menos interesado en seguir el Camino en que has entrado, éste puede ser el momento en que sea más apropiado para ti.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“La comprensión y el conocimiento son sensaciones completamente diferentes en el reino de la Verdad a como son en el reino de la sociedad.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Aquello que te complace llamar Sufismo es simplemente la recopilación de un método pasado.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“What you are pleased to call Sufism is merely the record of past method.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“La gente cambia y las necesidades cambian. Por ende, aquello que alguna vez fue Sufismo, ya no lo es.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“No es Sufismo si no cumple su función para ti. Un abrigo deja de serlo si no mantiene a un hombre abrigado.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Sufismo es aquello que consigue llevar el Conocimiento Superior al hombre.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Sufism is that which succeeds in bringing to man the High Knowledge.”
― Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East

“Nunca sigas ningún impulso para enseñar, sin importar lo fuerte que pudiera ser. El mandato para enseñar no se siente como un impulso.”
― Idries Shah, Pensadores de oriente