Commit the oldest sins the newest kind of ways.
William ShakespeareRead
Sufis teach that we first must battle and destroy the evil within ourselves by shining upon it the good within, and then we learn to battle the evil in others by helping their higher selves gain control of their lower selves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes inner transformation as a prerequisite to addressing external conflicts.
Feisal Abdul Rauf reflects on the Sufi perspective that personal growth and the overcoming of internal struggles are essential steps before one can effectively engage with and assist others. By cultivating the goodness within ourselves and confronting our own evils, we become better equipped to encourage and elevate the higher selves of those around us, promoting a cycle of positive change in the world.
Themes
Self-ImprovementInner PeaceCompassionGoodnessTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about personal growth and self-awareness at a community workshop.
Similar quotes
To be truly Catholic is not merely to be correct according to an abstractly universal standard of truth, but also and above all to be able to enter into the problems and the joys of all, to understand all, to be all things to all.
Thomas MertonRead
Who is there that can adequately gauge the greatness of the humility, gentleness, self-surrender, revealed by the Lord of majesty in assuming human nature, in accepting the punishment of death, the shame of the cross?
Saint BernardRead
What I have against religion is that they start you when you are so defenseless. I mean, I was three when they started pumping this bullshit into my head. I believed in Santa Claus and the Fairy Godmother, of course I believed in a virgin birth, and a guy lived in a whale, and a woman came from a rib. But then something happened that made me doubt all of it: I graduated sixth grade!
Bill MaherRead
I don't look at myself as a commodity, but I'm sure a lot of people have.
Marilyn MonroeRead
The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states.
Mahatma GandhiRead