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In the golden age of Persian poetry, a luminous figure emerged whose words would transcend centuries, cultures, and traditions. Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi, known to the world simply as Rumi, was born under the vast skies of Balkh (in present-day Afghanistan) in 1207.
His early years were marked by an extraordinary journey that would shape his destiny. He fled the approaching Mongol armies with his family, traveling through the ancient lands of Iran, Iraq, and Arabia before finding sanctuary in Konya, Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).
It was in Konya where Rumi’s spiritual awakening would blossom, catalyzed by his fateful meeting with the mysterious mystic Shams Tabriz in 1244. This profound connection transformed the Rumi into one of history’s most celebrated poets and spiritual teachers. After Shams’ sudden disappearance, Rumi poured his longing and enlightenment into verse, creating masterpieces like the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi that would become cornerstones of Persian literature.
Eight centuries after his death in 1273, Rumi’s words continue to resonate with extraordinary power across the globe. His poetry speaks to the universal human experience – of love, loss, yearning, spiritual curiosity, and the eternal quest for meaning.
Whether quoted in meditation retreats, shared on social media, or studied in universities, his insights into the human heart and its connection to the divine continue to offer solace and inspiration to millions. In an age of division, Rumi’s message of universal love and spiritual unity feels more relevant than ever, reminding us that beyond all external differences lies a shared human essence that connects us all.
Here are some of Rumi’s enlightened words:
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be.”
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
“Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.”
“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
“Dance until you shatter yourself.”
“Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.”
“Achieve some perfection yourself, so that you may not fall into sorrow by seeing the perfection in others.”
“Be full of sorrow, that you may become a hill of joy; weep, that you may break into laughter.”
“When love is not accepted, move on; when love is not appreciated, walk away; hopefully, time will teach what real, true love is.”
“In each moment the fire rages, it will burn away a hundred veils. And carry you a thousand steps toward your goal.”
“Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.”
“Work. Keep digging your well. Water is there somewhere.”
“Whether one moves slowly or with speed, the one who is a seeker will be a finder.”
”Be certain that in the religion of love there are no believers and unbelievers. Love embraces all.”
”Love is the bridge between you and everything.”
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
“Gamble everything for love, if you are a true human being. If not, leave this gathering.”
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”
“Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone sober will worry about things going badly. Let the lover be.”
“Love sometimes wants to do us a great favour: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.”
“Lovers have heartaches that can’t be cured by drugs or sleep or games, but only by seeing their beloved.”
“Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.”
“Let us carve gems out of our stony hearts and let them light our path to love.”
“Be soulful. Be kind. Be in love.”
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”
“The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.”
“True beauty is a ray that springs from the sacred depths of the soul.”
“Grace comes to forgive and then forgive again.”
“The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.”
“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.”
“I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within.”
“There is a life force within your soul, seek that life. There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that mine.”
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
“The wealth within you, your essence, is your kingdom.”
“Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world.”
“If the light is in your heart, you will find your way home.”
“What is planted in each person’s soul will sprout.”
“What you seek is seeking you.”
“Anyone who genuinely and consistently with both hands looks for something will find it.”
“Look at the moon in the sky, not the one in the lake.”
“The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.”
“Brother, stand the pain. Escape the poison of your impulses. The sky will bow to your beauty, if you do.”
“There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you?”
”Be empty of worry. Think of who created thought.”
”Let go of your mind and then be mindful. Close your ears and listen.”
”Sit, be still, and listen.”
”The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
”When I am silent, I fall into the place where everything is music.”
”The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand.”
”The source of now is here.”
”Patience is the key to joy.”
”Patience with small details makes perfect a large work, like the universe.”
”Beauty surrounds us, but usually, we need to be walking in a garden to know it.”
”To praise the sun is to praise your own eyes.”
”I lost my hat while gazing at the moon, and then I lost my mind.”
”Either give me more wine or leave me alone.”
”Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.”
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
“Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah… it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.”
“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your myth.”
“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”
“It’s your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”
“Let yourself become living poetry.”
“If the foot of the trees were not tied to the earth, they would be pursuing me. For I have blossomed so much, I am the envy of the gardens.”
“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”
“You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.”
“You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”
“Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape.”
“Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?”
“This place is a dream. Only a sleeper considers it real. Then death comes like dawn, and you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief.”
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
“Learn to light the candle. Rise with the sun. Turn away from the cave of your sleeping.”
“The garden of the world has no limit except in your mind.”
“There are thousands of wines that can take over our minds. Don’t think all ecstasies are the same!”
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
“There’s a field somewhere beyond all doubt and wrongdoing. I’ll meet you there.”
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. Cleverness is mere opinion. Bewilderment brings intuitive knowledge.”
“Silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.”
“The Prophets accept all agony and trust it. For the water has never feared the fire.”
“And so it is, that both the devil and the angelic spirits present us with objects of desire to awaken our power of choice.”
“Poetry can be dangerous, especially beautiful poetry because it gives the illusion of having had the experience without actually going through it.”
“The message behind the words is the voice of the heart.”
“There is a secret medicine given only to those who hurt so hard they can’t hope. The hopers would feel slighted if they knew.”
“Be an empty page, untouched by words.”
“The same wind that uproots trees makes the grass shine. The lordly wind loves the weakness and the lowness of grasses. Never brag of being strong.”
“Anything which is more than our necessity is poison. It may be power, wealth, hunger, ego, greed, laziness, love, ambition, hate or anything.”
“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.”
“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”
“Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.”
“Whoever has heart’s doors wide open, could see the sun itself in every atom.”
“You are not one, you are a thousand. Just light your lantern.”
“The world is a mountain, in which your words are echoed back to you.”
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
“Would you become a pilgrim on the road of love? The first condition is that you make yourself humble as dust and ashes.”
“Are you jealous of the ocean’s generosity? Why would you refuse to give this joy to anyone? Fish don’t hold the sacred liquid in cups! They swim the huge fluid freedom.”
“There is a basket of fresh bread on your head, yet you go door to door asking for crusts.”
“I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.”
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