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
Thinking gives off smoke to prove the existence of fire. A mystic sits inside the burning. There are wonderful shapes in rising smoke that imagination loves to watch. But it's a mistake to leave the fire for that filmy sight. Stay here at the flame's core.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes focusing on the core truth and essence of life rather than being distracted by superficial illusions.
Rumi suggests that while thoughts and imagination can appear alluring, akin to the smoke rising from a fire, they are ultimately ephemeral and can lead one away from the profound truth found at the heart of existence. True understanding and fulfillment come from engaging directly with the essential aspects of life, rather than getting lost in transient distractions.
Themes
ThoughtFireTruthImaginationDistraction
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing one's passions, this quote can remind people to focus on their core goals rather than fleeting desires.
More from Rumi
All quotes →The 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.
RumiRead
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.
RumiRead
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.
RumiRead
Come on sweetheart let's adore one another before there is no more of you and me
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