I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.
Khalil GibranRead
The truly great man is he who would master no one, and who would be mastered by none.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True greatness lies in the ability to be free of control by others while not seeking to control others.
This quote by Khalil Gibran explores the essence of true greatness, suggesting that a truly great individual does not seek to dominate or control those around them, nor do they allow themselves to be subjected to the will of others. Instead, true greatness is found in mutual respect and autonomy, advocating for a balance of power where individuals can coexist without oppression or the desire to oppress.
Themes
GreatnessMasteryFreedomControlRespect
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership seminar, one might reflect on this quote while discussing the traits of effective leaders.
More from Khalil Gibran
All quotes βBe patient, for it is from doubt that knowledge is born.
Khalil GibranRead
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
Khalil GibranRead
God made Truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.
Khalil GibranRead
Happiness is a vine that takes root and grows within the heart, never outside it.
Khalil GibranRead
Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.
Khalil GibranRead
Similar quotes
All man's troubles come from not knowing how to sit still in one room.
Blaise PascalRead
The greatest gift that God in His bounty made in creation, and the most conformable to His goodness, and that which He prizes the most, was the freedom of will, with which the creatures with intelligence, they all and they alone, were and are endowed.
Dante AlighieriRead
I believe this thought, of the possibility of death - if calmly realised, and steadily faced would be one of the best possible tests as to our going to any scene of amusement being right or wrong.
Lewis CarrollRead
The joke of it all is that you are looking from your true nature right now without knowing it. If you would stop being fascinated with the contents of your mind, you would experience what I am saying. Feel your way into what I am saying rather than thinking about it. Only a self-concept looks and longs for God. Drop your self-concept and there is only God meeting God. Enlightenment is the restoration of cosmic humor.
AdyashantiRead
The silence drew off, baring the pebbles and shells and all the tatty wreckage of my life.
Sylvia PlathRead
I am good. I live good. I think good. I don't have to feel good to be good, I take my goodness wherever I go.
Peter ToshRead