Kahlil Gibran

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. Work is love made visible.

   Gibran says work done with love feeds people fully; work done with distaste bakes bitter bread. What you make shows what you care about. Love it or change it.

   The Prophet (1923), On Work, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

2. The deeper sorrow carves into you, the more joy you can hold.

   The cup that holds wine was burned in the kiln; the lute was hollowed with knives. Sorrow makes room. Your grief is making space for future joy.

   The Prophet (1923), On Joy and Sorrow, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

3. Let there be spaces in your togetherness.

   Close love still needs room to breathe. Gibran asks partners to stay whole people. Give each other space.

   The Prophet (1923), On Marriage, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

4. Stand together, not too near. The pillars of the temple stand apart.

   Pillars hold up the roof because they are apart. Two people can carry a shared life best when each stands on their own. Togetherness is not merging.

   The Prophet (1923), On Marriage, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

5. You give little when you give possessions. Give of yourself.

   Things are easy to give when you have extra. Time, attention and care cost you something. That is real giving.

   The Prophet (1923), On Giving, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

6. Pain is the breaking of the shell around your understanding.

   A seed must crack for its heart to reach the sun. Pain often marks growth breaking through. Ask what it is opening.

   The Prophet (1923), On Pain, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

7. Don't say you found the truth. Say you found a truth.

   Your insight may be real and still be only one piece. Gibran says the soul walks on all paths. Hold what you know with humility.

   The Prophet (1923), On Self-Knowledge, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

8. Reason and passion: the rudder and sails of your seafaring soul.

   Without sails you stall; without a rudder you drift. Reason alone confines, passion alone burns out. You need both to make way.

   The Prophet (1923), On Reason and Passion, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

9. You are the bow. Your children are living arrows.

   Parents launch children; they do not own their flight. Gibran says children belong to life's longing for itself. Bend well and let them go far.

   The Prophet (1923), On Children, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)

10. The self is a sea, boundless and measureless.

    Gibran tells you not to measure your depths with a staff or sounding line. There is always more in you to find. Explore without needing to chart it all.

    The Prophet (1923), On Self-Knowledge, Original English (The Prophet, 1923)