Skip to content
quotesby

Am I less man because I believe in a greater man? The barriers of flesh and bone fell down when the Poet of Galilee spoke to me; and I was held by a spirit, and was lifted to the heights, and in midair my wings gathered the song of passion. And when I dismounted from the wind and in the Sanhedrim my pinions were shorn, even then my ribs, my featherless wings, kept and guarded the song. And all the poverties of the lowlands cannot rob me of my treasure. I have said enough. Let the deaf bury the humming of life in their dead ears. I am content with the sound of His lyre, which He held and struck while the hands of His body were nailed and bleeding.

Khalil Gibran#25

SpiritualityFaithSufferingStrength

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker feels spiritually elevated by the Poet of Galilee despite suffering and rejection.
In plain terms
I was lifted by a spirit even when my body was hurt and I was rejected.
What can you take from it?
Spiritual conviction can sustain you even through physical suffering and rejection.

Where it applies

  • religious experience
  • persecution
  • personal crisis

Putting it to work

  • hold to beliefs
  • find strength
  • persist despite pain

Questions to consider

  • What sustains you in suffering?
  • Is faith enough against pain?

Another view

Spiritual contentment does not always alleviate physical pain or social rejection.

More from Khalil Gibran

  1. Do you not remember me, Nicodemus, who believed in naught but the laws and decrees and was in continual subjection to observances? And behold me now, a man who…

    Permalink to quote #24
  2. He was gentle, like a man mindful of his own strength. In my dreams I beheld the kings of the earth standing in awe in His presence.

    Permalink to quote #26
  3. There are the men who say, 'He preached tenderness and kindliness and filial love, yet He would not heed His mother and His brothers when they sought Him in th…

    Permalink to quote #23

Related quotes

  1. Put up at the moment of greatest suffering a prayer, not for thy own escape, but for the enfranchisement of some being dear to thee, and the sovereign spirit w…

    Margaret FullerMargaret Fuller quote #3
  2. 'God's signs are not always the ones we look for, yet the private prayers of people, whether in our homes or in this place, are known, heard, and understood. T…

    Ratu Josefa IloiloRatu Josefa Iloilo quote #4
  3. They who have steeped their souls in prayer Can every anguish calmly bear.

    Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton HoughtonRichard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton Houghton quote #11