Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese-American author, philosopher, poet, and artist. A bio and list of his books may be found here.
Mike’s and my favorite book by Gibran is The Wanderer. We selected the following four-paragraph story (p. 27) as an introduction to his 12 inspirational quotes.
“What is life? Is life the seeds of grass, drifting aimlessly, at times multiplying then dying, while at other times being swept into the vast expanse of the heavens?”
—Inspired by various passages in the chapter “What is Life” in the book Dialogues with the Master by Paul Twitchell, 1983 edition.
Jalaluddin Rumi is one of my favorite poets. As an introduction to twelve of his inspirational quotes, I’ve included the following excerpt from “Rumi’s Untold Story,” a free online e-book by Shahram Shiva:
“Rumi’s life story is full of intrigue and high drama mixed with intense creative outbursts. Rumi was a charming, wealthy nobleman, a genius theologian, law professor and a brilliant but sober scholar, who in his late thirties met a wandering and wild holy man by the name of Shams. In Rumi’s own words, after meeting Shams he was transformed from a bookish, sober scholar to an impassioned seeker of universal truth and love.
“The time for life is now. The time for love is now. The time to do it is now, not tomorrow.” —Leo Buscaglia
One powerful way the Universe communicates with us is through inner guidance. Learning how to recognize Its messages, we can be directed toward the right path, meeting the right people, and doing the right thing. Awareness is key.
What would happen if I didn’t follow my inner guidance? I wondered. One day I learned, and the price was extremely high.
