I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.
Khalil GibranRead
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True love encompasses both joy and suffering, and avoiding its challenges leads to a hollow existence.
In this quote, Khalil Gibran emphasizes that to seek only the comforts and joys of love, while avoiding its challenges and pain, ultimately leads to a less fulfilling life. Genuine love involves embracing both happiness and sorrow, as they are integral to the human experience. By retreating from love's intensity, one may find superficial joy, but will miss out on the deeper connections and growth that come from fully experiencing love's spectrum.
Themes
LoveFearJoySorrowLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a wedding speech to highlight the importance of accepting both good times and bad in a relationship.
More from Khalil Gibran
All quotes →Be patient, for it is from doubt that knowledge is born.
Khalil GibranRead
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
Khalil GibranRead
God made Truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.
Khalil GibranRead
Happiness is a vine that takes root and grows within the heart, never outside it.
Khalil GibranRead
Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.
Khalil GibranRead
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