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Here and there, betwixt the cradle and the coffin, I meet your silent brothers, The free men, unshackled, Sons of your mother earth and space. They are like the birds of the sky, And like the lilies of the field. They live your life and think your thoughts, And they echo your song. But they are empty-handed, And they are not crucified with the great crucifixion, And therein is their pain. The world crucifies them every day, But only in little ways. The sky is not shaken, And the earth travails not with her dead.

Khalil Gibran#45

FreedomSufferingLegacyEqualitySociety

About this quote

What does it mean?
Those who live freely and unattached are overlooked by history, though they suffer daily pain.
In plain terms
Free men are ignored by history even though they suffer quietly.
What can you take from it?
Unrecognized lives matter just as much as famous ones.

Where it applies

  • activism
  • art
  • community

Putting it to work

  • honor the quiet
  • live freely
  • seek impact

Questions to consider

  • Who is the unsung hero in your life?
  • How should society remember its citizens?

Another view

This romanticizes suffering without questioning if freedom is always possible.

More from Khalil Gibran

  1. You laughed for the marrow in their bones that was not yet ready for laughter; And you wept for their eyes that yet were dry. Your voice fathered their thought…

    Permalink to quote #44
  2. Master, Master Poet, Master of our silent desires, The heart of the world quivers with the throbbing of your heart, But it burns not with your song. The world …

    Permalink to quote #46
  3. Master, Master Poet, Master of words sung and spoken, They have builded temples to house your name, And upon every height they have raised your cross, A sign a…

    Permalink to quote #43

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