The intellect of two thousand asses cannot bring forth a single man's thought.
Interpretation
The brilliance of a single person's thought can surpass that of many minds working together.
This quote by Muhammad Iqbal emphasizes the unique power of individual intellect and creativity. It suggests that while a large number of individuals may collectively possess knowledge, the original and innovative ideas often stem from the insights of a single person, highlighting the value of individual contributions over mere numbers.
In practice
In a speech about innovation, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of creative thinking.
The revealed and mystic literature of mankind bears ample testimony to the fact that religious experience has been too enduring and dominant in the history of mankind to be rejected as mere illusion. There seems to be no reason, then, to accept the normal level of human experience as fact and reject its other levels as mystical and emotional.
I have seen the movement of the sinews of the sky, And the blood coursing in the veins of the moon.
let this be our beautiful departure from stagnation; let our minds come alive; enter another dimension; go beyond the stars eagerly struggling to find that... which our naked eyes did not know existed; rise like a falcon born to soar and not be alone but be present amongst others.
The soul is neither inside nor outside the body; neither proximate to nor separate from it.
The wing of the Falcon brings to the king, the wing if the crow brings him to the cemetery.
The truth is that the religious and the scientific processes, though involving different methods, are identical in their final aim. Both aim at reaching the most real.
Like the lotus which thrives in mud, the potential for realization grows in the rich soil of everyday life
The great person never loses a childlike spirit.
Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.
We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly enlightened or peaceful or intelligent. Nevertheless, we have soil good enough to cultivate; we can plant anything in it.
Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it.
Tyranny will make an entire population into readers of poetry.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.