Words That May Inspire You

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

If a stone hits a river, the river will treat it as yet another commotion in its already tumultuous course. Nothing unusual. Nothing unmanageable.
If a stone hits a lake, however, the lake will never be the same again.

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"Most of the time, we have to read books that have nothing to do with our lives." - Michelle

"When one speaks ill of God, he speaks ill of himself," - Shams

"How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we." - Shams

It was always like this. When you spoke the truth, they hated you. The more you talked about love, the more they hated you.

Having roots nowhere, I have everywhere to go.

"When something needs to be said, I'll say it even if the whole world grabs me by the neck and tells me to keep quiet." - Shams

Submission is a form of peaceful acceptance of the terms of the universe, including the things we are currently unable to change. - Aziz

one should keep the intellect satisfied and yet be careful not to spoil it. - Shams

Don't ever take words at face value. - Shams

The person who is openly loved by someone who is admired by so many people is bound to draw the envy, if not the hatred, of others. - Master Seyyid

A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be so shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome.

for a new Self to be born, hardship is necessary.

There are more fake gurus and false teachers in this world than the numbers of stars in the visible universe. Don't confuse power-driven, self-centered people with true mentors. A genuine spiritual master will not direct your attention to himself or herself and will not expect absolute obedience or utter admiration from you, but instead will help you to appreciate and admire your inner self. True mentors are as transparent as glass. They let the Light of God pass through them.

The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinary voice within.

The past is a whirlpool. If you let it dominate your present moment, it will suck you in. Time is just an illusion. What you need is to live this very moment. That is all that matters. - Shams

Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness.

"Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well to play is entirely in your hands." - Shams

Numbing the pain is not the same as healing it. - Master Sameed

Learn the truth, my friend, but be careful not to make a fetish out of your truths. - Shams

Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough. - Shams

The way to a man's heart can sometimes take a woman far away from herself, my dear. - Desert Rose