Sufi Wisdom Quotes

Farsi Couplet:
Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.


English Translation:
If there is a paradise on earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this ~ Amir Khusrau

…The heavens could not bear my debt
And wrote me as a madman in my fate.
But lovers bled their hearts
And on the face of the Beloved
Did a beauty spot create.

The fire that burns
In the flame of the lamp
Is not the fire;
It burns in the essence of
The moth and consumes him entire… ~ Hafiz Shirazi

Sleep is the boundary between being/existence and not-being/non-existence. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Neither to heaven nor to hell, my journey is towards my home. ~ ~Sw. Chidananda Tirtha

Disappointment cannot exist without expectation. The expected apricot is never as sweet when it reaches the mouth. ~ Idries Shah

A yellow dog is brother to the jackal. ~ Idries Shah

He who is fortunately enlightened [the Sufi]
Knows that sophistry is from the devil and love from Adam. ~ Idries Shah

Traditional Sufi wisdom teaches that we are the creation and manifestation of Infinite Love, and that every event and circumstance of our lives serves to awaken us and remind us that true happiness and security is to be found in the deepest center of ourselves where we are closest to that Infinite Love, where our true needs will be met.
~Shaikh Kabir Helminski ~ Kabir Helminski

Practise your knowledge, for knowledge without practice is a body without life ~ Idries Shah

Farsi Couplet:
Naala-e zanjeer-e Majnun arghanoon-e aashiqanast
Zauq-e aan andaza-e gosh-e ulul-albaab neest


English Translation:
The creaking of the chain of Majnun is the orchestra of the lovers,
To appreciate its music is quite beyond the ears of the wise. ~ Amir Khusrau

Khusrau darya prem ka, ulti wa ki dhaar,
Jo utra so doob gaya, jo dooba so paar.

English Translation.

Oh Khusrau, the river of love
Runs in strange directions.
One who jumps into it drowns,
And one who drowns, gets across. ~ Amir Khusrau

The illusion of 'I' is that you think you are 'I' while you are only 'am'; and that 'am' is the first person singular of the verb 'to be'. Since, for 'to be' you don't need to say 'I', but for to say 'I' you need 'to be', thus you are prior to 'I' as 'am', and that 'am' is 'to be'; therefore, to that note, on the ocean of 'am' alone, 'I' is only a wave. ~ ~Sw. Chidananda Tirtha

In reality, every reality is a veil over reality. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Do not destroy anybody's peace. You will find peace. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

The sort of man who, throwing a stone upon the ground, would miss. ~ Idries Shah

…The heart, the body and the soul
By her thought was consumed whole;
The only one left untouched
Was I alone, and none to console.

In front of the Beloved
I did not mention Khusrow's faults;
Entranced by her beguiling beauty
I forgot my honest duty! ~ Amir Khusrow Dehlavi

Sleep is a mirror of life in which can be seen the reflection of death. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

One day the cub will become a wolf, even if it has been reared among the sons of man. ~ Idries Shah

You are unlimited you are limitless
you are expanded and every single
thought ~ Syed Sharukh

Sufism is education, in that it has a body of knowledge which it transmits to those who have not got it. ~ Idries Shah

The mystic, identifying neither with his-her race-religion-gender nor with any mind-made blunder, lives and dies in One's splendor. ~ Fakeer Ishavardas

The thing we tell of can never be found be seeking, yet only seekers find it. ~ Bayazid Bastami

Pick up a bee from kindness, and learn the limitations of kindness. ~ Idries Shah

When the child is ill, the mother will know how to pray. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

You live where you lived
You sit where you sit
Nothing seems to have changed
At the end of the day ~ Qrembiezs

My heart is so small it's almost invisible. How can You place such big sorrows in it? "Look," He answered, "your eyes are even smaller, yet they behold the world. ~ Rumi

Life abides between life as if it were an island amidst its own ocean ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

My heart is your student,
it studies love,

And, like the night,
waits at the gate of dawn.

Where I go,
I follow where love's face leads.

Because oil flows
to the flame that it feeds. ~ Rumi

This life is but a dream. A state of sleep but how unfortunate that man's eyes open only when they are about to be closed (forever). ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Too much kindness towards the fox may mean doom for the rabbit. ~ Idries Shah

The world is ancient, but it has not lost its newness. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

If behaviors become equivalent it is possible for knowledge to become equivalent (for any two individuals). ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

My heart gave me no respite,
I was like a madman last night.
All night I was beguiled,
Indulged and fantasized.

The flame of Love
In my heart burnt bright
And I was a moth
That on the flame alights… ~ Amir Khusrow Dehlavi

Deteriorated science is a cult, so is imitative or deteriorated Sufism. ~ Idries Shah

Intellect is the knowledge obtained by experience of names and forms; wisdom is the knowledge which manifests only from the inner being; to acquire intellect one must delve into studies, but to obtain wisdom, nothing but the flow of divine mercy is needed; it is as natural as the instinct of swimming to the fish, or of flying to the bird. Intellect is the sight which enables one to see through the external world, but the light of wisdom enables one to see through the external into the internal world. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

The world is also a tillage; sow and reap your crop, and preserve it. Throw away the chaff, and give it no importance ~ Master Nursi

Poets must be grounded in the education of the arts, drama, history, mysticism, esotericism, and philosophy. To gain knowledge and become learned of the above is easy - read. Poets should apply this knowledge to their work, so a poet will advance to the next level, to their next phase of their emotional, psychological and spiritual development, growing in years in a short space of time, in hours or months if he or she is an avid reader. This knowledge will birth work that is not meretricious but of noble parentage. ~ Abigail George

The flowers of your qualities will reveal your true nature. If you have the fragrance of God, you will have the fragrance of an insan kamil, a perfected man. There will be light in your face, beauty in your heart, and sweetness in your speech. (p. 399) ~ M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

It is necessary to note," says Rumi, "that opposite things work together, even though nominally opposed" (Fihi Ma Fihi). ~ Idries Shah

In order to spend out our time (life) we sell some of this time. We work for someone, we labour. In freedom we do slavery. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Do not think that your magic ring will work if you are not yourself Solomon. ~ Idries Shah

It is not long before those who are obedient in service obtain command. ~ Saadi

Though I never told your name to anyone and forever I have cherished you within my soul alone, but since you always were dancing in my eyes, the whole world has seen you through my sight, and knew it that you are my beloved for whom my love is all meant for.

Though I never confessed my love to anyone and forever I have loved you within my heart alone, but since you are always resonating in my songs, the whole world has heard you through my words, and knew it that you are my beloved for whom my life is all meant for.

Though I never admitted my ecstasies to anyone and forever I have treasured you within my thoughts alone, but since you are always reflecting in my joys, the whole world has understood you through my delights, and knew it that you are my beloved for whom even my death is all meant for. ~ ~Sw. Chidananda Tirtha

MAGHRIBI: Learning is in activity. Learning through words alone is minor activity. ~ Idries Shah

In the bosom of success lie not delights but deprivations ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

The world is order or cosmos rather than chaos, one that is alive as an organism and at the same time governed by law. ~ Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Stand bloody tall - you're the All. ~ Fakeer Ishavardas

The feet and their tapping
Write many a lovely couplet
The body dances to your rhythm O lord
After all, you are the master and I a puppet ~ Neelam Saxena Chandra

In love, there is no distinction between success and failure. If love remains then even separation is union otherwise even union is separation. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others. ~ Muhammad

We wish to become one thing or another, rather we wish to become everything and in this pursuit of becoming everything we only end up becoming idiots. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

There can only be two contexts of your life. Either you are the author of your life, or He (the Creator) is the author of your life.
People who feel that their creation is the responsibility of the Creator, find opportunities unexpectedly.
Those who feel that their lives are their own, have to fashion their own means. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right effort, right time, right people, right materials. ~ Idries Shah

He who has no light in his heart, what will he gain from the festival of lamps. ~ Wasif Ali Wasif

When the lion had eaten its fill, and the jackals had taken their share, the ants came along and finished up the meat from the bones of the haughty stag. ~ Idries Shah

Those who say 'I am ready to learn', or 'I am not ready to learn' are as often mistaken as they are correct in their surmise. ~ Idries Shah

I am the Real, for I have not ceased to be real – through the Real. ~ Idries Shah

Much travel is needed before the raw man is ripened. ~ Idries Shah

Love The Way Love, Loves You ~ Syed Sharukh

Without hope, death is merely the doorway to darkness. An oblivion from which none returns. With hope, death becomes the gateway to everlasting light, an illumination of the sensorium - Huja ~ Rehan Khan

You are the light of love in darkness. I am longing for you, oh my love! ~ Debasish Mridha

In the Forest,' comments Mr. Crawfford, 'ev'ryone comes 'round in a Circle sooner or later. One day, your foot comes down in your own shit. There, as the Indians say, is the first Step upon the Trail to Wisdom. ~ Thomas Pynchon

The goodness of a person is normally judged based upon how they act towards those whom they consider to be less fortunate than themselves. This has become the standard for measuring the goodness of a person. But this is erroneous. It is in fact very easy to be good to those whom you consider to be less fortunate than yourself. You know what's difficult? Being good to those you envy! That is what's difficult to do! People believe themselves to practice equality because they are good to those who are lesser than they are, but this is not equality if they do not show the same amount of goodness to the people who happen to be more than they are. I always look at how a person treats those who are more than they are, and that is how I determine the goodness in a person. Because the other option is just too easy. The other option comes with all benefit and no loss. ~ C. JoyBell C.

The toughest test of good judgment is to know when to withhold your better judgment. ~ Robert Breault

There is no gem like truth,
no wealth like knowledge,
no treasure like understanding,
and no jewel like love.

There is no gem like gratitude,
no wealth like humility,
no treasure like patience,
and no jewel like virtue,

There is no gem like peace,
no wealth like contentment,
no treasure like faith,
and no jewel like joy.

There is no gem like time,
no wealth like experience,
no treasure like reality,
and no jewel like life.

There is no gem like prudence,
no wealth like health,
no treasure like prayer,
and no jewel like meditation.

There is no gem like nature,
no wealth like harmony,
no treasure like Heaven,
and no jewel like God. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

You build a reputation by your action, not by your imagination. ~ Debasish Mridha

To wisely live your life, you don't need to know much
Just remember two main rules for the beginning:
You better starve, than eat whatever
And better be alone, than with whoever. ~ Omar Khayyam

You're thinking I'm a changed man. That God has changed me. And that regardless of the fact that my father has left so much damage in his wake, I shouldn't hate him for it. You're telling me to think to the future ... That I shouldn't hold bitterness against the father who left ... And you hope that i can finally forgive him, which is something I've never quite been able to do." "Goodness," Sera beamed back at him. "I thought all that? I'm much wiser than I give myself credit for. ~ Kristy Cambron

Most often we plan for inconsequential events, but forget to plan for life. So be mindful and let's plan for life. ~ Debasish Mridha

I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others. A wise man will cultivate a servant's spirit, for that particular attribute attracts people like no other. As I humbly serve others, their wisdom will be freely shared with me. Often, the person who develops a servant's spirit becomes wealthy beyond measure. Many times, a servant has the ear of the king, and a humble servant often becomes a king, for he is the popular choice of the people. He who serves the most grows the fastest. I will become a humble servant. I will not look for someone to open my door - I will look to open the door for someone. I will not be distressed when no one is available to help me - I will be excited when I am available to help. I will be a servant to others. I will listen to the counsel of wise men. I will choose my friends with care. I will seek wisdom. ~ Andy Andrews

May you find courage, faith and hope to live your dreams. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

This is the wisdom: If we bless our bodies, they will bless us. ~ Gloria Steinem

Knowledge is an alter in the temple of wisdom. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

Ripe in wisdom was he, but patient, and simple, and childlike. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and gospel is free. ~ Richard V. Allen

Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend. ~ Francis Bacon

This universe was created for the love, by the love, and with love. ~ Debasish Mridha

Wisdom is for statues. Humor uncaps our inhibitions, unleashes our energies, seals friendships, patches hurts. Laughing is probably the most alive you can be. ~ James Wolcott

I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath. ~ Aesop

At the end of the day, what is life? A beautiful journey. Why must we take it so seriously and not enjoy every moment of it? Why not let any person have his chance in anything he desires? ...Why not vanish the hate and forgive? Why not follow our dreams and make them reality? ~ Maria Karvouni

To accomplish the perfect perfection, a little imperfection helps. ~ Dejan Stojanovic

If you have a drop of violence or anger in your mind, it can ignite a candle and be the source of violence, so be kind. ~ Debasish Mridha

If you keep focusing on what people have to say or will say about you, you will lose focus of what God has called you to do. Never let distractions bother you...if you do, you will only be giving your energy to an unworthy cause. ~ Kemi Sogunle

To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. ~ Socrates

Wisdom always waits for the right time to act, while emotion always pushes for action right now! ~ Joyce Meyer

Between falsehood and useless truth there is little difference. As gold which he cannot spend will make no man rich, so knowledge which cannot apply will make no man wise. ~ Samuel Johnson

A wise woman puts a grain of sugar in everything she says to a man, and takes a grain of salt with everything he says to her. ~ Helen Rowland

It is true what people say, the young have the ability, but lack the wisdom, and the old have the wisdom, but lack the ability. ~ Jose Saramago

Where once there was a void,
Now at least there are
Seeds of splendour,
Becalmed belief for another time. ~ Scott Hastie

Keep hope alive to be happy. ~ Debasish Mridha

Tracing the progress of mankind in the ascending path of civilization, and moral and intellectual culture, our fathers found that the divine ordinance of government, in every stage of the ascent, was adjustable on principles of common reason to the actual condition of a people, and always had for its objects, in the benevolent councils of the divine wisdom, the happiness, the expansion, the security, the elevation of society, and the redemption of man. They sought in vain for any title of authority of man over man, except of superior capacity and higher morality. ~ William M. Evarts

Where there are no bees there is no honey.
Where there are no flowers there is no perfume.
Where there are no clouds there is no rain.
Where there are no stars there is no light.
Where there are no roses there are no thorns.
Where there are no skies there are no stars.
Where there are no storms there are no rainbows.
Where there are no animals there are no forests.
Where there are no plants there are no jungles.
Where there are no seeds there are no harvests.
Where there are no spiders there are no webs.
Where there are no ants there are no colonies.
Where there are no worms there are no fish.
Where there are no mice there are no serpents.
Where there are no carcasses there are no vultures.
Where there are no stones there are no pebbles.
Where there are no rocks there are no mountains.
Where there are no deserts there are no oases.
Where there are no stars there are no galaxies.
Where there are no worlds there are no universes. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

There is a kind of wisdom that grows in the heart from living in places such as you have been. It builds integrity and strong character. ~Then'diel ~ K. Farrell St. Germain