I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our sorrow often stems from the loss of something that brought us joy.
Khalil Gibran's quote reflects the intricate relationship between joy and sorrow. It reminds us that our deepest sadness often arises from the love and happiness we have experienced. When we grieve, it is not just for what we have lost but for the cherished moments and delights that once filled our hearts. By encouraging us to look deep within ourselves during times of sorrow, Gibran invites us to acknowledge the duality of our emotions—sorrow is intertwined with joy, and recognizing this connection can help us heal.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, to reflect on the joy the deceased brought to our lives.
More from Khalil Gibran
All quotes →Be patient, for it is from doubt that knowledge is born.
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
God made Truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.
Happiness is a vine that takes root and grows within the heart, never outside it.
Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.
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Goe and catche a falling starre, Get with child a mandrake root, Tell me, where all past yeares are, Or who cleft the Divel's foot. Teach me to hear Mermaides' singing, Or to keep of envies stinging, And finde What winde Serves to advance an honest minde.
What people most need now is to apply their conversion skills to those things that are essential for their survival. They need to convert facts into logic, free will into purpose, conscience into decision. They need to convert historical experience into a design for a sane world.
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Putting is like wisdom - partly a natural gift and partly the accumulation of experience.