Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was a Persian poet, who lived in the 13th century AD.
Throughout his life, he sang to the divine power of love. Rumi was also an Islamic dervish and a Sufi mystic, whose eloquence and wisdom have earned him a place among the titans of human thought.
Even if you haven’t read a line by Rumi before, I do recommend that you read the powerful quotes below, as they are full of so much love and wisdom. It is not surprising that Rumi’s verse has inspired a number of great artists throughout history, including great Bengali revolutionary poet Nazrul.
The turning point in Rumi’s life was shortly after his 37th birthday, when the pious and righteous religion teacher met a wandering dervish by the name of Shams Tabrizi. They spent a total of three years together, during which time Tabrizi was Rumi’s spiritual guide.
Then, all of a sudden, the holy man disappeared as quickly as he’d entered Rumi’s life.
Whether Tabrizi was murdered by one of Rumi’s sons, or he just moved on to find another lost soul in need of guidance, we shall never know. The important thing is that Rumi, although devastated by the loss of his mentor, managed to channel his grievance into some of the finest verse the world had ever known.
Recurring motifs in Rumi’s poetry are nature, the power of love, the pain caused by the loss of one’s partner and friend, etc.
The quotes you are going to read below will make you rest assured that God loves you and that love’s going to save the world!
The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along
-Rumi
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. – Rumi
Reason is powerless in the expression of love. – Rumi
Your heart is the size of an ocean. Go find yourself in its hidden depths. – Rumi
Love is the bridge between you and everything. – Rumi
Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there. – Rumi
If light is in your heart, you will find your way home. – Rumi
This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love you are. – Rumi
What is planted in each person’s soul will sprout. -Rumi
A thousand half-loves must be forsaken to take one whole heart home. – Rumi
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. – Rumi
I was dead, then alive.
Weeping, then laughing.
The power of love came into me,
and I became fierce like a lion,
then tender like the evening star.
– Rumi
Love calls – everywhere and always.
We’re sky bound.
Are you coming?
– Rumi
Gamble everything for love, if you’re a true human being – Rumi
Only from the heart can you touch the sky. – Rumi