The Prophet

A succinct store of timeless insight into living rightly.

“Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.”

What [b:The Prophet 28461875 The Prophet Kahlil Gibran https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452067735s/28461875.jpg 2938937] might lack in philosophical rigor or depth, it gains in beauty and feeling. I think it misses the point to say that Gibran's treatment of any of his topics, from justice, to death, to good and evil, are complete in the face of centuries of human thought and contemplation on these inherently human questions. I'd tender the suggestion that the Prophet of Orphalese doesn't need to be right, or even for the reader to agree with most of what he says, to have an impact. Yes, that's a little generic and not the most useful, but the takeaway is that I'm not going to judge the Prophet on its content per se but the experience of reading it and listening to it. I love these pieces because it provides a solid counterpoint to many of our prevailing modes of thinking; its tone and metaphor and imagery force you to go “wait, have I been doing it wrong the whole time?” Often I tell myself no, sometimes I tell myself yes, but either way I think it helped my “soul unfold itself, like a lotus of countless petals”.

It is difficult to write a review on a book that begs to be revisited over and over again. It is difficult to point to one part, or section, as the "aha" moment that made me love this book. My point is that this book is phenomenal as it is one that grows with you, one that will reach you in a different spot depending on what you are going through or what is relevant to your experiences. Buy it, leave it on your bookshelf and let curiosity bring you to open it when the time is right.

A beautiful collection of poems about diverse topics on life and existence. Of course some ideologies are now outdated but there are plenty of poems with timeless advice. Some passages are truly beautiful and left an impression on me.

There are certain books that speak to the heart and send shivers up the spine as you read them. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is one of those books. It will help make you a better person, it will help dampen demons in the soul, it will help set perspectives, it will help you to never underestimate your self-worth, it will make you question if you are doing enough to help your fellow human, and it will help inspire you to level up your appreciation of the world around you. Truly, truly amazing! But enough of me babbling on. Here are some of my favorite quotes. ❖ “ The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.For self is a sea boundless and measureless.” ❖❖ “The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.” ❖❖ “Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”But I say unto you, they are inseparable.Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.” ❖Its in the public domain on project gutenburg or on audio at librovox. Give it a go. ⭐ Rating ⭐❖ 6 out of 5 ❖

Parts of this were gorgeous. Some parts were prettily written but I didn't fully agree and somethings I disagreed.

If there is one book you want to keep with you forever it's this one.
It is not a religious book, it is a spiritual one. I rarely read religious or spiritual books but Gibran's poetic prose is exquisite. It massages your soul and leaves you wishing you too could express yourself in such a profound and beautiful way.

The passage on Children is one of my favorites.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you, but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts
You may house their bodies but not their souls.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

An all time favorite

A must read, even if it does not get a perfect rating

O people of Orphalese,
You say you learn from this book
Yet who can learn from a book something that they don't know it already.

A book tells you many things
Yet it cannot say anything
It is but a tool that uncovers a connection
A connection to the boundless

But words fail
Words are shadows of ideas
They are a poor substitute of that connection
Yet they are those judged
And not the ideas that point us all to the boundless.

Everyone should read this book!

Oh My GOD??? This was FANTASTIC and gave me an existential crisis in the BEST kind of way!!! I don't normally read these kind of books but it was given to me for my birthday by close family friends, and I gotta say, I LOVED it!!!! Definitely recommend this book, especially since it's so short!!!

Wow, so many interesting phrases in this book. I feel like I could have highlighted the whole book

I understand why people love this book. It feels like a religious book but without the religion and its dogma. It's such an interesting choice of Gibran to go with the concept of the fictional prophet, to share his way of thinking and living. The book is beautifully written, the style flows through, like your floating down a stream. Very similar to the surrealism in his artwork.

A fascinating book, and it is likely to be one of the only books in the self-help genre that will make a lasting impact on me. The Prophet is not preachy and doesn't aim to be. Contrary to what some people might think, I don't feel this book prompts you to believe in a Supreme Power ™ - if you believe in it, Gibran would be happier, of course – but at one point, Gibran states that, at the risk of not paraphrasing – ‘better to concentrate on people here rather than the God above'.
There's also an insane number of quotes spread about like diamonds – memorable examples of which include -
I teach you not silence, but rather a song not over-loud.Not yet have I been caged by wisdom. Too young am I and too verdant to speak of aught but self.The space between you and your neighbour unbefriended is greater than those between you and your beloved who dwells beyond seven lands and seven seas.Call nothing ugly, my friend, save the fear of a soul in the presence of its memories.I also loved that it's so short, and today's self-help books should learn a thing or two about editing from this one. The Prophet, in its essence, is a mishmash of inspirational quotes attributed to a fictional prophet, and it somehow works – and it doesn't look to have aged at all.

Poetic wisdom. Kahlil reminds the reader on the duality of everything on earth. In few words, more has been said in short Q & A style of writing.

বইটা চমৎকার। প্রফেট যতটা না প্রফেট তারচেয়ে বেশি পোয়েট। এইসব বইয়ের সমস্যা হচ্ছে লোকে এগুলো থেকে এত ক্যোট করে যে ক্রমে ক্লিশে হয়ে ওঠে। এজন্যই আমি ক্যোট করা থেকে বিরত থাকবো। তবুও বলা চলে আধ্যাত্মিকতার অনেককিছুই আমার অবিশ্বাসের জায়গায় থাকলেও আমি উপভোগ করেছি। অনেক ব্যাপারে একমতও। বইটা সংক্ষিপ্ত। পড়তে রেকমেন্ড করবো।

The prophet is one of those books that make you feel spiritual when reading it. I enjoyed it except that I needed some more elucidation on some of the topics or chapter if you prefer,this happened to be the 3rd time I read this book & I may still read it. but aside that its a pretty nice book. So I recommend it for anyone seeking inner vision.

Reminds me alot of [b:The Richest Man in Babylon 1052 The Richest Man in Babylon George S. Clason https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348336780l/1052.SY75.jpg 5265]

‰ЫПAnd you receivers ‰ЫУ and you are all receivers ‰ЫУ assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings.‰Ыќ