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As long as a human being worries about when he will die, and what he has that is his,_x000D_ all of his works are zero._x000D_ When affection for the I-creature and what it owns is dead,_x000D_ then the work of the Teacher is over.
Kabir
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Worrying about material possessions and mortality distracts from meaningful work.

This quote by Kabir emphasizes the futility of attaching oneself to material possessions and the anxiety over death. It suggests that true fulfillment and purpose come from transcending these concerns, allowing for genuine devotion and impactful work to emerge from a place of love and wisdom rather than fear and attachment.

Themes

DeathAttachmentMaterialismWorkTeacherAffection

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational talk about finding purpose beyond material wealth.

More from Kabir

A diamond was laying in the street covered with dirt. Many fools passed by. Someone who knew diamonds picked it up.
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The apple blossom exists to create fruit; when that_x000D_ comes, the petal falls.
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The Lord is in me, the Lord is in you,as life is in every seed, put false pride away and seek the Lord within.
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Seeking Why run around sprinkling holy water? There's an ocean inside you, and when you're ready you'll drink.
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Wherever you are is the entry point.
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When the Guest is being searched for,_x000D_ it is the intensity of the longing for the Guest that does all the work._x000D_ Look at me, and you will see a slave of that intensity.
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