A Collection of Rumi
Quotes and Poetry
Rumi Quotes - Wisdom and Inspiration from the 13th Century Spiritual Master
Until You've Found Pain
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Until you've found pain, you won't reach the cure
Until you've given up life, you won't unite with
the supreme soul
Until you've found fire inside yourself, like the Friend,
You won't reach the spring of life, like Khezr.
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There is a Candle
There is a Candle - Rumi in Business
There is a candle in the heart of man, waiting to be kindled.
In separation from the Friend, there is a cut waiting to be
stitched.
O, you who are ignorant of endurance and the burning
fire of love
Love comes of its own free will, it can't be learned
in any school.
How Long
How Long - Rumi in Business
How long will you think about this painful life?
How long will you think about this harmful world?
The only thing it can take from you is your body.
Don't say all this rubbish and stop thinking.
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In Love
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In love, aside from sipping the wine of timelessness,
nothing else exists.
There is no reason for living except for giving one's life.
I said, "First I know you, then I die."
He said, "For the one who knows Me, there is no dying."
I See so Deeply Within Myself
I see so deeply within myself.
Not needing my eyes, I can see everything clearly.
Why would I want to bother my eyes again
Now that I see the world through His eyes?"
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In the End
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In the end, the mountains of imagination were nothing
but a house.
And this grand life of mine was nothing but an excuse.
You've been hearing my story so patiently for a lifetime
Now hear this: it was nothing but a fairy tale.
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This Aloneness
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This Aloneness is worth more than a thousand lives.
This freedom is worth more than all the lands on earth.
To be one with the truth for just a moment,
Is worth more than the world and life itself.
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There is a life-force within your soul
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There is a life-force within your soul, seek that life.
There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that
mine.
O traveler, if you are in search of That
Don't look outside, look inside yourself and seek That.
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Late, by Myself
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Late, by myself, in the boat of myself,
no light and no land anywhere,
cloud cover thick.
I try to stay
just above the surface,
yet I'm already under
and living with the ocean
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Shadow and Light Source Both
How does a part of the world leave the world?
How does wetness leave water?
Dont' try to put out fire by throwing on
more fire! Don't wash a wound with blood.
No matter how fast you run, your shadow
keeps up. Sometimes it's in front!
Only full overhead sun diminishes your shadow.
But that shadow has been serving you.
What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is
your candle. Your boundaries are your quest.
I could explain this, but it will break the
glass cover on your heart, and there's no
fixing that.
You must have shadow and light source both.
Listen, and lay your head under the tree of awe.
When from that tree feathers and wings sprout on you,
be quieter than a dove. Don't even open your mouth for
even a coo.
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Intelligence is the feast
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Intelligence is the feast, not bread and roast-meat:
the light of intelligence, my son, is the soul’s food.
Man has no food but the light—the soul doesn’t obtain nourishment from anything but that.
Little by little cut yourself off from these material foods—for they are the food of an donkey, not that of a free man—so that you might become capable of absorbing that original food
and become accustomed to eating delicate morsels of light.
It’s from the reflection of that light
that this bread has become bread;
it’s from the overflowing of that rational soul
that this animal soul has become soul.
Once you eat of the light
you won’t be attached to the bread and oven.
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The Taste of Morning
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Time's knife slides from the sheath,
as fish from where it swims.
Being closer and closer is the desire
of the body.
Don't wish for union!
There's a closeness beyond that.
Why would God want a second God? Fall in
love in such a way that it frees you
from any connecting. Love is the soul's
light, the taste of morning, no me, no
we, no claim of being.
These words
are the smoke the fire gives off as it
absolves its defects, as eyes in silence,
tears, face. Love cannot be said.
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Two Kinds of Intelligence
There are two kinds of intelligence: one acquired,
as a child in school memorizes facts and concepts
from books and from what the teacher says,
collecting information from the traditional sciences
as well as from the new sciences.
With such intelligence you rise in the world.
You get ranked ahead or behind others
in regard to your competence in retaining
information. You stroll with this intelligence
in and out of fields of knowledge, getting always more
marks on your preserving tablets.
There is another kind of tablet, one
already completed and preserved inside you.
A spring overflowing its springbox. A freshness
in the center of the chest. This other intelligence
does not turn yellow or stagnate. It's fluid,
and it doesn't move from outside to inside
through conduits of plumbing-learning.
This second knowing is a fountainhead
from within you, moving out.
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The Self We Share
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Thirst is angry with water. Hunger bitter
with bread.
The cave wants nothing to do with the sun.
This is dumb, the self- defeating way
we've been.
A gold mine is calling us into its temple.
Instead, we bend and keep picking up rocks
from the ground.
Every thing has a shine like gold,
but we should turn to the source!
The origin is what we truly are. I add a little
vinegar to the honey I give.
The bite of scolding makes ecstasy more familiar.
But look, fish, you're already in the ocean:
just swimming there makes you friends with
glory.
What are these grudges about? You are Benjamin.
Joseph has put a gold cup in your grain sack and
accused you of being a thief.
Now he draws you aside and says,
"You are my brother. I
am a prayer. You're the amen."
We move in eternal regions, yet
worry about property here.
This is the prayer of each:
You are the source of my life.
You separate essence from mud.
You honor my soul. You bring rivers from the
mountain springs. You brighten my eyes.
The wine you offer takes me out of myself into
the self we share. Doing that is religion.
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The Seed Market
Can you find another market like this?
Where,
with your one rose
you can buy hundreds of rose gardens?
Where,
for one seed
get a whole wilderness?
For one weak breath,
a divine wind?
You've been fearful
of being absorbed in the ground,
or drawn up by the air.
Now, your waterbead lets go
and drops into the ocean,
where it came from.
It no longer has the form it had,
but it's still water
The essence is the same.
This giving up is not a repenting.
It's a deep honoring of yourself.
When the ocean comes to you as a lover,
marry at once, quickly,
for God's sake!
Don't postpone it!
Existence has no better gift.
No amount of searching
will find this.
A perfect falcon, for no reason
has landed on your shoulder,
and become yours.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
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Two Friends
A certain person came to the Friend's door
and knocked.
"Who's there?"
"It's me."
The Friend answered, "Go away. There's no place
for raw meat at this table."
The individual went wandering for a year.
Nothing but the fire of separation
can change hypocrisy and ego. The person returned
completely cooked,
walked up and down in front of the Friend's house,
gently knocked.
"Who is it?"
"You."
"Please come in, my self,
there's no place in this house for two.
The doubled end of the thread is not what goes through
the eye of the needle.
It's a single-pointed, fined-down, thread end,
not a big ego-beast with baggage."
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The Breeze at Dawn
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The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
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What You Really Want ​
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If you want what visible reality
can give, you're an employee.
If you want the unseen world,
you're not living your truth.
Both wishes are foolish,
but you'll be forgiven for forgetting
that what you really want is
love's confusing joy.
This we Have Now
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This we have now
is not imagination.
This is not
grief or joy.
Not a judging state,
or an elation,
or sadness.
Those come and go.
This is the presence that doesn't.
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There is a Way
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There is a way between voice and presence
where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes.
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Birdsong
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Birdsong brings relief
to my longing
I'm just as ecstatic as they are,
but with nothing to say!
Please universal soul, practice
some song or something through me!
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Not Here
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There's courage involved if you want
to become truth.
There is a broken- open place in a lover.
Where are those qualities of bravery and
sharp compassion in this group? What's the
use of old and frozen thought?
I want a howling hurt. This is not a treasury
where gold is stored; this is for copper.
We alchemists look for talent that
can heat up and change.
Lukewarm won't do. Halfhearted holding back,
well-enough getting by? Not here
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Not Intrigued With Evening
What the material world values does
not shine the same in the truth of the soul.
You have been interested
in your shadow. Look instead directly at the sun.
What can we know by just
watching the time-and-space shapes of each other?
Someone half awake in the night sees imaginary dangers;
the morning star rises; the horizon grows
defined; people become friends in a moving caravan.
Night birds may think
daybreak a kind of darkness, because
that's all they know.
It's a fortunate
bird who's not intrigued with evening,
who flies in the sun we call Shams.
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Light Breeze
As regards feeling pain, like a hand cut in battle,
consider the body a robe you wear.
When you meet someone you love, do you kiss their clothes? Search out who's inside.
Union with God is sweeter than body comforts.
We have hands and feet different from these. Sometimes in dream we see them.
That is not illusion. It's seeing truly. You do have a spirit body;
don't dread leaving the physical one. Sometimes someone feels this truth so strongly that he or she can live in mountain solitude totally refreshed.
The worried, heroic doings of men and women seem weary and futile to dervishes enjoying the light breeze of spirit.
Only Breath
Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion
or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up
from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,
am not an entity in this world or in the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any
origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul.
I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,
first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.
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Sleep of the Body the Soul's Awakening
Every night Thou freest our spirits from the body
And its snare, making them pure as rased tablets.
Every night spirits are released from this cage,
And set free, neither lording it nor lorded over.
At night prisoners are unaware of their prison,
At night kings are unaware of their majesty.
Then there is no thought or care for loss or gain,
No regard to such an one or such an one.
The state of the "Knower" is such as this, even when awake.
God says,4 "Thou wouldst deem him awake though asleep,
Sleeping to the affairs of the world, day and night,
Like a pen in the directing hand of the writer.
He who sees not the hand which effects the writing
Fancies the effect proceeds from the motion of the pen.
If the "Knower" revealed the particulars of this state,
'Twould rob the vulgar of their sensual sleep.
His soul wanders in the desert that has no similitude;
Like his body, his spirit is enjoying perfect rest;
Freed from desire of eating and drinking,
Like a bird escaped from cage and snare.
But when he is again beguiled into the snare,
He cries for help to the Almighty.
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Expanding Your Mind with Rumi Quotes: Insights and Inspiration from a 13th Century Scholar
If you're looking for a new perspective on life and love, there's no better place to start than with the wisdom of Rumi. Born in the 13th century, Rumi was a Persian poet whose work has had a lasting impact on Muslim culture and writing. His words have been translated into countless languages, including Spanish, Turkish, German, and French, and continue to inspire readers around the world.
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In this article, we'll explore the benefits of reading Rumi quotes and share some of our favorite sayings from this master of language.
Benefits of Reading Rumi Quotes
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Reading Rumi quotes can help you expand your mind and gain insight into some of life's biggest questions. Here are just a few of the benefits of immersing yourself in Rumi's words:
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Gain a new perspective on life: Rumi's poetry is known for its philosophical insights and spiritual themes. Reading his quotes can help you see the world in a new light and gain a deeper understanding of your place in it.
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Find inspiration for personal growth: Many of Rumi's quotes focus on the importance of personal growth and self-discovery. By reading his words, you may find the motivation you need to pursue your goals and become the best version of yourself.
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Connect with others: Rumi's words are universal and speak to the human experience in a way that transcends time and culture. Reading his quotes can help you feel more connected to others and to the world around you.
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Explore the nature of love: Rumi is often described as a "poet of love," and his quotes on this topic are some of his most famous. By reading his words, you may gain a deeper understanding of the nature of love and the role it plays in our lives.
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Favorite Rumi Quotes
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Here are just a few of our favorite Rumi quotes to get you started:
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"Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you."
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"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
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"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."
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"The wound is the place where the light enters you."
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"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."
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Conclusion
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Reading Rumi quotes can be a transformative experience that expands your mind and helps you see the world in a new light. Whether you're looking for inspiration, personal growth, or a deeper understanding of love and life, Rumi's words have something to offer.