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You know not that the earth was given in marriage to the sun, and that earth it is who sends us forth to the mountain and the desert. There is a gulf that yawns between those who love Him and those who hate Him, between those who believe and those who do not believe. But when the years have bridged that gulf you shall know that He who lived in us is deathless, that He was the Son of God even as we are the children of God; that He was born of a virgin even as we are born of the husbandless earth.

Khalil Gibran#40

FaithNatureUnityDivinityBelief

About this quote

What does it mean?
The quote uses allegory to describe the relationship between earth and sun, suggesting a spiritual unity. It argues that belief and disbelief create a divide that time bridges, revealing a shared divine nature in all beings.
In plain terms
Time will show that everyone shares a divine nature regardless of their current beliefs.
What can you take from it?
Belief divides us now, but time reveals our shared divine origin.

Where it applies

  • spiritual crisis
  • interfaith dialogue
  • meditation

Putting it to work

  • practicing patience
  • seeking common ground
  • contemplating nature

Questions to consider

  • How do your current beliefs separate you from others?
  • What unifies humanity beyond belief?

Another view

It assumes a universal spiritual truth that may not align with non-theistic views.

More from Khalil Gibran

  1. You hate Jesus because someone from the North Country said He was the Son of God. But you hate one another because each of you deems himself too great to be th…

    Permalink to quote #39
  2. Master, master singer, Master of words unspoken, Seven times was I born, and seven times have I died Since your last hasty visit and our brief welcome. And beh…

    Permalink to quote #41
  3. Once again I say that with death Jesus conquered death, and rose from the grave a spirit and a power. And He walked in our solitude and visited the gardens of …

    Permalink to quote #38

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