Hazrat Inayat Khan
It is not solid wood that can become a flute, but the empty reed.Collection: Woods
The soul is covered by a thousand veils.Collection: Soul
I played the vina until my heart turned into the same instrument. Then I offered this instrument to the Divine Musician, the only muscian existing. Since then I have become His flute, and when He chooses He plays His music. The people give me credit for this music which, in reality, is not due to me, but to the Musician who plays his own instrument.Collection: Music
It is through this physical body that the highest and greatest purpose of life is achieved. A person only calls it the physical body in ignorance. Once the knowledge has come...he begins to look upon it as the sacred temple of God.Collection: Spiritual
Peace is perfected activity.Collection: Activity
If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and lasting; that is the one that should be followed for the time.Collection: Real
Be contented with what you possess in life; be thankful for what does not belong to you, for it is so much less care; but try to obtain what you need, and make the best of every moment of your life.Collection: Being Thankful
The one thing to rely upon is God's favor. Do not build either on your study or on your meditation, although they both help you. But you are dependent on God, not even on your murshid. Seek Him, trust Him. In Him lies your life's purpose, and in Him is hidden the rest of your soul.Collection: Lying
How can you be that which you possess? You cannot be the horse and rider at the same time. Herein lies the secret of mortality and immortality.Collection: Horse
Music, the word we use in our everyday language, is nothing less than the picture of our Beloved. It is because music is the picture of our Beloved that we love music.Collection: Everyday
We can be under the power of a spell, but we must overcome such a power; we must liberate ourselves from evil. Everyone can fight.Collection: Fighting
Those who have a desire to teach while coming to learn should not pose as disciples; they must come as teachers.Collection: Teacher
The religion of the Sufi is the religion of the heart. The principal moral of the Sufi is to consider the heart of others, so that in the pleasure and displeasure of his fellow-man he sees the pleasure and displeasure of God.Collection: Heart
While people judge others from their own moral standpoint, the wise person looks also at the point of view of another.Collection: Wise
To be resigned means to find satisfaction in self-denial (Self-denial is the denial of one's lower self).Collection: Mean
As long as in love there is "you" and "me," love is not fully kindled.Collection: Love Is
Atmosphere is a silent music. It has its effect upon the listener, exciting or peaceful, whatever it may be.Collection: Peaceful
Humanity, divine limitation; Divinity, human perfection.Collection: Spiritual
Very often in everyday life one sees that by losing one's temper with someone who has already lost his, one does not gain anything but only sets out upon the path of stupidity. He who has enough self-control to stand firm at the moment when the other person is in a temper, wins in the end. It is not he who has spoken a hundred words aloud who has won; it is he who has perhaps spoken only one word.Collection: Winning
Music should be healing. Music should uplift the soul. Music should inspire.Collection: Music
All that produces longing in the heart deprives it of its freedom.Collection: Heart
The peace for which every soul strives and which is the true nature of God and the utmost goal of a man is but the outcome of harmony.Collection: Wise
I gave up my music because I had received from it all I had to receive. To serve God one must sacrifice the dearest thing, and I sacrificed my music, the dearest thing to me.Collection: Music
People in the world wish to make things rigid, things which are of the finest nature which words cannot explain. When a person describes the hereafter, it is just like wanting to weigh the soul or photograph the spirit. I personally think that you must be able to realize yourself what the hereafter is. You must not depend upon my words.Collection: Thinking
Once you have given up your limited self willingly to the Unlimited, you will rejoice so much in that consciousness that you will not care to be small again.Collection: Self
Very often pessimistic people speak against their own desire. They want to undertake some work, and they say, 'I will do this, but I don't think I shall succeed in it.' Thus they hinder themselves in their path. Man does not know that every thought makes an impression on the consciousness and on the rhythm with which the consciousness is working. According to that rhythm that reflection will come true and happen; and a man proves to be his own enemy by his ignorance of these things.Collection: Ignorance
Prayer from the depth and prayer from the surface are two prayers. One can utter what Christ has called 'vain repetitions', just repeating the prayer; one does not fix one's mind on the meaning of the prayer. If the depth of one's heart has heard the prayer, God has heard it.Collection: Prayer
God is not justice. Justice is in his nature, but love is predominant. People attach such importance to actions and their results. They do not know that above action and result is a law which can consume the fire of hell, which can dominate even if the whole world were being drowned in the flood of destruction; they do not know that the power of love is greater than any other.Collection: Love Is
Many say that life entered the human body by the help of music, but the truth is that life itself is music.Collection: Body
There are two ways in which we may attain control over our activity. The first is confidence in the power of our own will; to know that if we have failed today, tomorrow we will not do so. The second is to have our eyes wide open, and to watch keenly our activity in all aspects of life. It is in the dark that we fall, but in the light we can see where we are going.Collection: Fall
I have found in every word a certain musical value, a melody in every thought, harmony in every feeling, and I have tried to interpret the same things with clear and simple words to those who used to listen to my music.Collection: Music
The truth is that man is one individual with two aspects, just like one line with two ends. If you look at the ends, it is two. If you look at the line, it is one. One end of the line is limited, the other end of the line is unlimited. One end is man, the other end is God.Collection: Men
Things appear different from every different plane from which you look at them, and when a person standing on flat earth asks a person standing on top of a mountain, "Do you also believe something?" the person cannot tell much. The questioner must come to the top of the mountain and see. There can be no link of conversation between them until that time.Collection: Believe
If a person is cold and rigid, he feels within himself as if he were in a grave. He is not living, he cannot enjoy this life for he cannot express himself and he cannot see the light and life outside. What keeps man from developing the heart quality? His exacting attitude. He wants to make a business of love. He says, 'If you will love me, I will love you.' As soon as a man measures and weighs his favors and his services and all that he does for one whom he loves, he ceases to know what love is. Love sees the beloved and nothing else.Collection: Attitude
Self-pity is the worst poverty. When a person says, 'I am...' with pity, before he has said anything more he has diminished himself to half of what he is; and what is said further, diminishes him totally; nothing more of him is left afterwards.Collection: Self
Have you known what it is to give your meal to another and to go without yourself? It gives a happiness that no dinner eaten by yourself can give. Have you known what it is to give your coat to another and do without it yourself? It gives a joy that the satisfaction of your own wants cannot give you.Collection: Giving
I had composed songs, I sang, and played the vina. Practising this music I arrived at a stage where I touched the music of the spheres. Then every soul became a musical note, and all life became music. Inspired by it I spoke to the people, and those who were attracted by my words listened to them instead of listening to my songs.Collection: Music
Failure in life does not matter; the greatest misfortune is standing still.Collection: Doe
Everything in life is speaking in spite of it's apparent silence.Collection: Inspirational
It is a very high stage in the path of love when man really learns to love another with a love that asks no return.Collection: Men
When one looks at the ocean, they can only see that part of it which comes within their range of vision; so it is with the truth.Collection: Ocean
What you are speaks louder than what you say.Collection: Speak
The voice is not only indicative of man's character, but it is the expression of his spirit. Other sounds can be louder than the voice, but no sound can be more living.Collection: Character
Every living being on earth loves life above all else. The smallest insect, whose life lasts only an instant, tries to escape from any danger in order to live a moment longer. And the desire to live is most developed in man.Collection: Love Life
He who has spent has used; he who has collected has lost; but he who has given has saved his treasure forever.Collection: Forever
It is the peaceful one who is observant. It is peace that gives him the power to observe keenly. It is the peaceful one, therefore, who can conceive, for peace helps him to conceive. It is the peaceful who can contemplate; one who has no peace cannot contemplate properly. Therefore, all things pertaining to spiritual progress in life depend upon peace.Collection: Spiritual
One is never so strong as when one is broken.Collection: Strong
Now if I do anything it is to tune souls instead of instruments. To harmonize people instead of notes. If there is anything in my philosophy, it is the law of harmony: that one must put oneself in harmony with oneself and with others.Collection: Philosophy
Love that ends is the shadow of love; true love is without beginning or end.Collection: Love