Great minds mark their time with their wisdom, leaving a heritage valued centuries afterward. Their words, commonly repeated and quotes until the present day, teach us of the world we live in and remind us to appreciate it.

The wisdom of the Persian poet, Sufi mystic and an Islamic Dervish,  Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, has enlightened numerous generations.

This provocative poet managed to find the perfect combination of poetry, music, and dance, and incorporate it into religious practice.

He is “a poet of joy and love” and a “compelling figure in all cultures,”  according to Brad Gooch, who wrote a biography of him, and his sayings resonate to the present day, transforming many lives for the better.

Rumi based his work upon love, hope, and awakening, and constantly advised people to open up the heart and mind to recognize the beauty hidden in all of us.

His works have been translated to numerous different languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, Turkish, German, Russian, Urdu, and Arabic.

Here are some of his most inspiring, powerful, and wise quotes:

1. “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”

Follow your heart and do not mind other people’s opinions.

2. “Be empty of worrying. Think of who created thought.”

Explore beyond the material world.

3. “Dance until you shatter yourself.”

Even if you are left with nothing, express your joys.

4. “What you seek is seeking you.”

When you love something with all your heart, you will attract it.

5. “Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”

Your loss is not permanent, and it will return to you through something else.

6. “What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.”

Whenever we are hurt, we become wiser.

7. “The lion is most handsome when looking for food.”

You are at your best when you are doing what you enjoy.

8. “Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the worlds.”

Your world is what you make of it.

9. “To praise the sun is to praise your own eyes.”

Beauty does not exist on its own, we create it.

10. “The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.”

Above all, keep your heart kind.

11. “These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”

Mistakes teach us to do better next time.

12. “Your heart is the size of an ocean. Go find yourself in its hidden depths.”

Seek the true knowledge that lies within yourself.

13. “Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.”

Do not be afraid to fall in love.

14. “Love is the bridge between you and everything.”

We are connected to everything through love.

15. “If the light is in your heart, you will find your way home.”

Let love lead you in life.

16. “This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love you are.”

The things we love define us.

17. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

We need to be the change we want to see in the world.

18. “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”

You do not have to be loud, but be wise.

19. “Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.”

Avoid negative people, as they will bring their negativity into your life.

20. “There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.

There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you?”

We all need love- it is the essence of life.

21. “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”

We love people for what they are, not for what they say.

22. “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”

People we love always remain in our hearts.

23. “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

You need to understand love to allow it to control your life.

24. “Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”

You are important as you have everything that the universe itself has.

25. “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”

People reveal their true faces when things get complicated.

26. “Reason is powerless in the expression of love.”

Love is felt by the heart and it is more powerful than the mind.

27. “You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.”

Heartbreaks should teach us to open our heart to true love.

28. “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”

Live life to the fullest.

29. “Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.”

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

30. “I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.”

No matter how tired you feel, you should never despair and lose hope.

31. “The wound is the place where the light enters you.”

Things that hurt teach us valuable lessons.

32. “Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”

Never stop loving.

33. “Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom.”

Learn your worth.

34. “Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?”

You are your own limit.

35. “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

To discover the paths in your life’s journey, you need to travel.

Sources:
www.theinspiringjournal.com
everydaypower.com
www.awakenthegreatnesswithin.com