What follows is the third in a series of wisdom quotes from Prem Rawat’s new book, Hear Yourself: How to Find Peace in a Noisy World. Throughout the 260 pages of his New York Times bestseller, Prem Rawat deftly cites a variety of sages – all of whom, in their own unique way, address the challenge/opportunity that all human beings face: how to live life to the fullest. What follows is a selection of these pearls of wisdom for your reflection and enjoyment.
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“I was being swept away in the river of darkness
– of this world, of society –
and then my Master handed me a lamp. He showed me this beautiful place inside me, and now I am content.” – Kabir
“Man, know thyself and you are going to know the gods.” – Written on the inner temple at Luxor in Egypt.
“We don’t need wings to fly; all we need is for those chains that bind us to be cut.” – Anon
“The drive toward complex technical achievement offers a clue to why the US is good at space gadgetry and bad at slum problems.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
“The fish in the water is thirsty and every time I see that it makes me laugh.” – Kabir
“Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.” – Benjamin Franklin
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” – John F. Kennedy
“In the market
I wish everyone well.
No one is my friend.
And no one is my enemy.” – Kabir
“I was passionate
filled with longing.
I searched
Far and wide.
But the day that the truthful One
found me,
I was home.
You are the earth, the sky,
the air, the day, the night.
You are the grain
and sandalwood paste,
the water, flowers, and all else.
What could I possibly bring
as an offering?” – Lalla Ded
“If you long for your son, friend, or partner, when it is not given you to have him, know that you are longing for a fig in winter.” – Epictetus
“The cow doesn’t give milk anymore, but you are expecting butter.” – Kabir
“In love, nothing exists between heart and heart,
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?” – Rabia al Basri
“As there is oil in the sesame seed
As there is fire in the flint
So the divine is in you
If you can awaken to that.” – Kabir
“Only the saints who know the body’s heart have attained the
Ultimate, O Tulsi.
Realize this and you’ve found your freedom, while teachers
trapped in tradition know only the mirage in the mirror.” – Tulsidas
“We should identify ourselves with the universe itself. Everything that is less than the universe is subject to suffering.” – Simone Weil
“I want you to speak from your heart and not overthink this.” – Ganesh
“If you want to be strong, be gentle.
If you want to be powerful, be kind.
If you want to be rich, be generous.
If you want to be smart, be simple.
If you want to be free, be yourself.” – Anon
