Kahlil Gibran is best known for his excellent book, The Prophet. And indeed, that is where most of these quotes were sourced.
Kahlil was a poet and a philosopher with a deep respect for all forms of Art. These quotes paint a vivid picture of life that touch on themes as varied as love, freedom, progress, and happiness.
If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don’t, they never were. Kahlil Gibran
Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolutions. Kahlil Gibran
You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts. Kahlil Gibran
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens. Kahlil Gibran
But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Kahlil Gibran
The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose. Kahlil Gibran
When love beckons to you follow him. Kahlil Gibran
Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms. Kahlil Gibran
A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain? Kahlil Gibran
The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness; and knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream. Kahlil Gibran
You may forget with whom you laughed, but you will never forget with whom you wept. Kahlil Gibran
Beauty in not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. Kahlil Gibran
If the other person injures you, you may forget the injury; but if you injure him you will always remember. Kahlil Gibran
It is well to give when asked but it is better to give unasked, through understanding. Kahlil Gibran
Forgetfulness is a form of freedom. Kahlil Gibran
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Kahlil Gibran
Sadness is but a wall between two gardens. Kahlil Gibran
We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. Kahlil Gibran
Love is trembling happiness. Kahlil Gibran
He who listens to truth is not less than he who utters truth. Kahlil Gibran
Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge. Kahlil Gibran
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children. Kahlil Gibran
The appearance of things change according to the emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves. Kahlil Gibran
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers. Kahlil Gibran
Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. Kahlil Gibran
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. Kahlil Gibran
Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. Kahlil Gibran
Work is love made visible. Kahlil Gibran
Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness. Kahlil Gibran
A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle. Kahlil Gibran
We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us where sunset left us. Kahlil Gibran
Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. Kahlil Gibran
If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work. Kahlil Gibran
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Kahlil Gibran
Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. Kahlil Gibran
The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. Kahlil Gibran
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Kahlil Gibran
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Kahlil Gibran
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. Kahlil Gibran
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. Kahlil Gibran
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights. Kahlil Gibran
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to. Kahlil Gibran
The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream. Kahlil Gibran
All that spirits desire, spirits attain. Kahlil Gibran
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. Kahlil Gibran
Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. Kahlil Gibran
The lights of stars that were extinguished ages ago still reaches us. So it is with great men who died centuries ago, but still reach us with the radiations of their personalities. Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children. Kahlil Gibran
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. Kahlil Gibran
They come through you but not from you, Kahlil Gibran
and though they are with you, and yet they belong not to you. Kahlil Gibran
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts. Kahlil Gibran
For they have their own thoughts. Kahlil Gibran
You may house their bodies but not their souls, Kahlil Gibran
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. Kahlil Gibran
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. Kahlil Gibran
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday. Kahlil Gibran
