Desires make slaves out of kings and patience makes kings out of slaves.
Al-GhazaliRead
Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me.
Interpretation
The struggle with one's own thoughts and emotions can be the most challenging aspect of life.
In this quote, Al-Ghazali reflects on the complexity of the human soul, emphasizing that the greatest battles we face often occur within ourselves. This internal struggle can manifest as a source of support or as an obstacle, demonstrating the dual nature of self-awareness and personal growth.
In practice
During a philosophy class, you might quote Al-Ghazali to illustrate the importance of introspection.
Desires make slaves out of kings and patience makes kings out of slaves.
The happiness of the drop is to die in the river.
To completely trust in Allah is to be like a child who knows deeply that even if he does not call for the mother, the mother is totally aware of his condition and is looking after him.
Do not fix hopes on your health, and do not laugh away life. Remember how they walked and now all their joints lie separately, and the tongue with which they talked lightly is eaten away by the worms
A man of bad character punishes his own soul.
The mere physical man is like the ant crawling on the paper, who observes black lettering and attributes its production to the pen and nothing more.
And if one of our instruments breaks, it doesn't matter. _x000D_ We have fallen into the place where everything is music.
The world is such-and-such or so-and-so only because we tell ourselves that that is the way it is.
I am a weak and sinful man, but God put His hands on me, that is all.
The finest clothing made is a person's own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.
Why does man not see things? He is himself standing in the way: he conceals things.
Ask him why there are hypocrites in the world.' 'Because it is hard to bear the happiness of others.' 'When are we happy?' 'When we desire nothing and realize that possession is only momentary, and so are forever playing.' 'What is regret?' 'To realize that one has spent one's life worrying about the future.' 'What is sorrow?' 'To long for the past.' 'What is the highest pleasure?' 'To hear a good story.
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