My dear heart, never think you are better than others. Listen to their sorrows with compassion. If you want peace, don't harbor bad thoughts, do not gossip and don't teach what you do not know.
RumiRead
There is no room for hypocrisy. Why use bitter soup for healing when sweet water is everywhere?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity and the absurdity of choosing negative experiences when positive options are available.
Rumi's quote suggests that hypocrisy and self-deception have no place in one's life. It questions why one would choose a painful or bitter experience, represented by 'bitter soup,' for healing when there are abundant positive alternatives, symbolized by 'sweet water.' The metaphor highlights the importance of seeking genuine, nourishing experiences rather than clinging to negativity or insincerity.
Themes
AuthenticityHypocrisyHealingPositivityTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational talk about the importance of being true to oneself.
More from Rumi
All quotes βThe Law of Wonder rules my life at last, _x000D_ ...I burn each second of my life to Love _x000D_ Each second of my life burns out in Love _x000D_ In each leaping second Love lives afresh.
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Lovers have heartaches _x000D_ That can't be cured by drugs _x000D_ Or sleep, _x000D_ Or games, _x000D_ But only by seeing their beloved.
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Every fragile beauty, every perfect forgotten sentence, you grieve their going away, but that is not how it is. Where they come from never goes dry. It is an always flowing spring.
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Whatever you keep hidden in your heart, God _x000D_ manifests in you outwardly. Whatever the root of _x000D_ the tree feeds on in secret, affects the bough and _x000D_ the leaf.
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Come on sweetheart let's adore one another before there is no more of you and me
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