A friend whom you have been gaining during your whole life, you ought not to be displeased with in a moment. A stone is many years becoming a ruby - take care that you do not destroy it in an instant against another stone.
SaadiRead
When the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the relationship between physical needs and spiritual state.
Saadi's quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of the physical body and the spirit. It suggests that when one's physical needs, such as hunger, are unmet, the spirit is heightened, possibly due to the focus on survival. Conversely, when one is well-fed and content, the focus may shift back to the physical, suggesting a balance between the two states and the idea that our material condition influences our spiritual well-being.
Themes
SpiritBodyHungerNeedsBalance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of addressing basic human needs, one might say, 'As Saadi wisely put it, when the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit.'
More from Saadi
All quotes βThe bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth.
SaadiRead
However much you study, you cannot know without action. A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man. Empty of essence, what learning has he whether upon him is firewood or book?
SaadiRead
Ants, fighting together, will vanquish the lion.
SaadiRead
An enemy to whom you show kindness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the indulgence of which increases its enmity.
SaadiRead
Human beings are members of a whole,_x000D_ In creation of one essence and soul._x000D_ If one member is afflicted with pain,_x000D_ Other members uneasy will remain._x000D_ If you have no sympathy for human pain,_x000D_ The name of human you cannot retain.
SaadiRead
Similar quotes
The more people smoke herb, the more Babylon fall.
Bob MarleyRead
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings BryanRead
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.
Dalai LamaRead
There are no insoluble problems. Only time-consuming ones.
James A. MichenerRead
Souls who can recognize God in the most trivial, the most grievous and the most mortifying things that happen to them in their lives, honor everything equally with delight and rejoicing, and welcome with open arms what others dread and avoid.
Jean-Pierre De CaussadeRead
We've taken on health care in a big way in our office, ever since nine years ago when I was paralyzed. I was in eight different hospitals, three different rehab centers, and all the rooms were dreadful. As an architect, designer, and patient, I can do something to help.
Michael GravesRead