I.

"There is no worse flaw in one's soul than the thought of superiority!"

 

- Rumi

 

"I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody."

 

- Abraham Lincoln

 

افتادگی آموز اگر طالب فیضی
هرگز نخورد آب زمینی که بلند است

"Learn modesty if you desire knowledge
A high land would never be irrigated."

 

- Pouryā-ye Vali

 
به حسنت مناز به یك تب بند است
به مالت مناز به یك شب بند است
 
"Do not brag about your appearance it depends on a fever
Do not brag about your wealth it depends on a night"

 

- Persian proverb

 

"18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

- Proverb 16:18-19
 
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

 

- James 4:6

1 Peter 5:5

"For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

- Luke 14:11

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

- 1 Peter 5:6

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

- James 4:10

"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 18:4

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ..."

 

- Philippians 2:1-10 

"One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."

- Proverbs 29:23

"For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

- 1 Corinthians 4:7

"What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God"

- Micah 6:8

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" 

- Matthew 11:29

 

"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility."

 

- Proverbs 18:12

 

كَلَّاۤ اِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ لَيَطۡغٰٓىۙ‏
اَنۡ رَّاٰهُ اسۡتَغۡنٰىؕ‏

 
"Nay, surely man transgresses;
for he believes himself to be self-sufficient." (96:6-7)

 

"Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator." He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful." (2:54) 

 

"Is it not a fact that every time a messenger went to you with anything you disliked, your ego caused you to be arrogant? Some of them you rejected, and some of them you killed." (2:87)

 

"Have you noted the one whose god is his ego? Consequently, God sends him astray, despite his knowledge, seals his hearing and his mind, and places a veil on his eyes. Who then can guide him, after such a decision by God? Would you not take heed?" (45:23)

"You shall not treat the people with arrogance, nor shall you roam the earth proudly. God does not like the arrogant showoffs" (31:18)

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

"The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say words of peace." (25:63)

- The Quran

 

"Boasting of wealth and virtue brings your demise."

 

- Lao Tzu

 

"The Ego is a veil between humans and God."

 

- Rumi

"One who does not realize his own value is condemned to utter failure.
(Every kind of complex, superiority or inferiority is harmful to man)."
 

"A sin that humbles you is better than a good deed that makes you arrogant."
 
"Always consider your intellect to be lacking; otherwise too much faith in it surely leads to error."

- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"I have never regarded any man as my superior, either in my life outside or inside prison."

 

- Nelson Mandela

 

"Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend."

 

- Albert Camus

 

"Love for the neighbor is therefore the eternal equality in loving. Equality is simply not to make distinctions and eternal equality is unconditionally not to make the slightest distinction, unqualifiedly not to make the slightest distinction. The essential Christian is itself too weighty, in its movements too earnest to scurry about, dancing, in the frivolity of such facile talk about the higher, highest, and the supremely highest. Think of the most cultured person, one of whom we all admiringly say, 'He is so cultured!' Then think of Christianity, which says to him, 'You shall love the neighbor!' of course, a certain social courtesy, a politeness toward all people, a friendly condescension toward inferiors, a boldly confident attitude before the mighty, a beautifully controlled freedom of spirit, yes, this is culture – do you believe that it is also loving the neighbor? With the neighbor you have the equality of a human being before God. God is the middle term."

 

- Soren Kierkegaard

 

"Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power, whilst pride abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation."

 
"O CHILDREN OF ADAM! Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of celestial glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One, accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity. This is the daystar of wisdom and of divine mystery that hath shone above the horizon of the divine will. Blessed are they that turn thereunto."

"Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form When within thee the universe is folded?"

 

"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."

- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 

"When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful."

 

- Yogi Bhajan

 

"Ego is the biggest enemy of humans."

 

- The Rig Veda

 

"They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the egocage of 'I', 'me', and 'mine' to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality."

 

"Free from all thoughts of 'I' and 'mine', a man finds absolute peace."

 

"That person realizes peace who, relinquishing all desires, exists without craving and is unidentified with the mortal ego and its sense of 'mine-ness'."

 

"All works are being done by the energy and power of nature, but due to delusion of ego people assume themselves to be the doer."

 

"If due to ego you think: I shall not fight; this resolve of yours is vain. Your own nature will compel you." 

 

"When he sees all being as equal
in suffering or in joy
because they are like himself,
that man has grown perfect in yoga."

 

"Everything has been accomplished in this very life by those whose mind is set in equality."

 

- The Bhagavad Gita

"Love does not seek its own, for there are no mine and yours in love."

- Soren Kierkegaard

"In Love no longer 'thou' and 'I' exist,
For Self has passed away in the Beloved."

- Attar

 

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite."

- William Shakespeare

 

"See them, floundering in their sense of mine, like fish in the puddles of a dried-up stream - and, seeing this, live with no mine, not forming attachment to experiences."

"The root of suffering is attachment."

"For one unattached to the notion 'I am'
There are no bonds.
For one liberated through wisdom There are no illusions.
Those attached to the notion 'I am' and to views Roam the world offending people."

"Those things that a great being should live aloof from,
He should neither acquire them nor talk about them.
As the prickly lotus is unsullied by water and mud,
So the sage,
Professing peace, and free of greed,
Is not stained by sensual pleasure and things of the world."

- Buddha (PBUH)

"Cut down the whole forest of selfish desires, not just one tree only. Cut down the whole forest and you will be on your way to liberation."

- The Dhammapada

 

جوانه می‌زنم
به روی زخم برتنم
فقط به حکم بودنم
که من زنم، زنم، زنم

چو هم صدا شویم و
پا به پای هم رویم و
دست به دست هم دهیم و
از ستم رها شویم

جهان دیگری
بسازیم از برابری
به هم‌دلی و خواهری
جهان شاد و بهتری

نه سنگ و سارها
نه پای چوب دارها
نه گریه‌های بارها
نه ننگ و عارها

جهان دیگری
بسازیم از برابری
به هم‌دلی و خواهری
جهان شاد و بهتری

"I bloom
On the wound on my body
Sentence for my mere existence
For I am a woman, woman, woman

If we unite our voices and
Walk side by side and
Hand in hand and
Free us from oppression

A different world
We build of equality
In solidarity and sisterhood
A joyful and better word

No stones and rocks
No climbing the gallows
No crying again
No shame and disgrace

A different world
We build of equality
In solidarity and sisterhood
A joyful and better word"

- Fereshteh Molavi
Mansoureh Shojaee
Gorji Marzban

 

"I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream - one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream…"

 

- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

"All and every particular and individual man and woman, that ever breathed in the world, are by nature all equal and alike in their power, dignity, authority and majesty, none of them having (by nature) any authority, dominion or magisterial power one over or above another."

- John Lilburne
 
مرد آن است که در کشاکش دهر سنگ زیرین آسیاب باشد
 
"Man is who in the twists and turns of history is the lower millstone"

 

نفست رو جمع كنى یک مشته
و اگر باز كنى یک دشته
 
Constrain your ego and it fits in a hand"
"Open it and it covers vast land

  

- Persian proverbs

 

Put your life in the palm of your hand and give it to the people
 
"13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."
 
- John 15:13
 
فدات بشم
‎قربونت برم
‎الهی بمیرم برای تو
 
"May I be sacrificed for you"
 
- Persian phrases

 

"You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy - the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud."

- Saint Vincent de Paul

 

"This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections."
 
"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels."

 

- Saint Augustin

 

"To study the way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between one’s self and others."

 

- Dogen

 

"I come to you without me,
come to me without you.
Self is the thorn in the sole of the soul.
Merge with others.
If you stay in self, you are a grain, you are a drop.
If you merge with others, you are an ocean, you are a mine."

 

"I dug into my heart deeper to see who is inside, the more I dug, the more I lost me."

 

- Rumi

 

"A sweet-smelling piece of clay, one day in the bath,
Came from the hand of a beloved one to my hand.
I asked: 'Art thou musk or ambergris?
Because thy delicious odour intoxicates me.'
It replied: 'I was a despicable lump of clay;
But for a while in the society of a rose.
The perfection of my companion took effect on me
And, if not, I am the same earth which I am.'"

 

- Saadi of Shiraz

 

Only with you, for you, and to show some of your potential

 

My good is because of you
My bad is because of me

 

"This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon anyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true. Get hold of yourself."
 
- Swami Vivekananda
 
"To blame others for our misfortunes is always a victory for the nafs (ego)."
 
- Timothy Winter
 
"Awaken your heart to kindness and mercy for the people and love and tenderness for them. Never, never act with them like a predatory beast which seeks to be satiated by devouring them, for the people fall into two categories: they are either your brethren in faith or your kindred in creation … Do not ever say, 'I have been given authority' or 'My command should be obeyed.' Because it corrupts the heart, consumes one's faith, and invites calamities."
 
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib
 

لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ مَنْ غَلَبَ النَّاسَ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّدِيدَ مَنْ غَلَبَ نَفْسَهُ

"The strong are not those who defeat people. Rather, the strong are those who defeat their ego."

(Mushkil Al-Āthār 1426)

الْحَيَاءُ خَيْرٌ كُلُّهُ

"Modesty is all that is good."

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 37)

الْحَيَاءُ لَا يَأْتِي إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ

"Modesty does not bring anything but goodness."

(Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī 6117)

"No one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter the Garden [heaven]."
 
"The Garden (heaven) and the Fire argued and the Fire said, 'I have the tyrants and the arrogant.' The Garden said, 'I have the weak and poor people.' Allah judged between them, 'You, the Garden, are My mercy. By you I show mercy to whomever I wish. You, the Fire, are My punishment by whom I punish whomever I will. It is My duty to fill both of you.'"
 
- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 
"Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know', and thou shalt progress."
 
- Maimonides
 
خدایا! عقیده ی مرا از دست عقده ام مصون بدار
 
"God! Spare my beliefs from my complexes"
 
- Ali Shariati

 

"He who knows best knows how little he knows."

 

- Thomas Jefferson

 

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."

 

- Confucius

 

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

- William Shakespeare

 
"The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

 

"Ego=1/Knowledge
More the knowledge lesser the ego, lesser the knowledge more the ego."

 

- Albert Einstein

 

"Det går med lærde og kyndige folk som med kornstrå; spirerne står i vejret som med oprakt hoved, så længe de er tomme; men når aksene kommer til modenhed, begynder de at ydmyge sig og bukke med hovedet."

 
"It goes with learned and knowledgeable people as with grain; the sprouts stand up as if with their head up, as long as they are empty; but when the axes come to maturity, they begin to humble themselves and bow their heads."

- Ludvig Holberg

 

"At man, naar det i Sandhed skal lykkes en at føre et menneske hen til et bestemt Sted, først og fremmest maa passe på at finde ham der, hvor han er og begynde der.
Dette er Hemmeligheden i al Hjælpekunst. Enhver der ikke kan det, han er selv i indbildning, naar han mener at kunne hjælpe en anden.
For i Sandhed at kunne hjælpe en Anden, maa jeg forstaae mere en han - men dog ved først og fremmest at forstaae det, han forstaar. Naar jeg ikke gjør det, saa hjælper min Mere-Forstaaen ham slet ikke.
Vil jeg alligevel gjøre min Mere-Forstaaen gjældende, saa er det, fordi jeg er forfærdelig stolt, saa jeg i Grunden I stedet for at gavne ham egentlig vil beundres af ham.
Men al sand Hjælp begynder med Ydmygelse: Hjælperen maa først ydmyge sig under Den, han vil hjælpe, og herved forstaae, at det at hjælpe ikke er at være den Herskesygeste men den Taamodigste, at det at hjælpe er Villighed til indtil videre at finde sig i at have uret, og i ikke at forstaae, hvad den Anden forstaar."

"If One Is Truly to Succeed in Leading a Person to a Specific Place, One Must First and Foremost Take Care to Find Him Where He is and Begin There.
This is the secret in the entire art of helping. Anyone who cannot do this is himself under a delusion if he thinks he is able to help someone else.

In order truly to help someone else, I must understand more than he - but certainly first and foremost understand what he understands. If I do not do that, then my greater understanding does not help him at all.

If I nevertheless want to assert my greater understanding, then it is because I am vain or proud, then basically instead of benefiting him I really want to be admired by him.
But all true helping begins with a humbling. The helper must first humble himself under the person he wants to help and thereby understand that to help is not to dominate but to serve, that to help is a not to be the most dominating but the most patient, that to help is a willingness for the time being to put up with being in the wrong and not understanding what the other understands."

- Soren Kierkegaard

"The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility."

- Charles Caleb Colton

-

ONE'S ACTION

 

"If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?"
 
"It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can give its full development to his nature. Able to give its full development to his own nature, he can do the same to the nature of other men."

 

"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior."

 
- Confucius

 

"Would you like to liberate yourself from the lower realms of life? Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation."
 
- Wang Fou
 
"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty"
 
"Those who overcome others have strength
Those who overcome themselves are powerful"
 
- Lao Tzu
 

正勝吾勝

 
"Masakatsu Agatsu… True victory is victory over oneself."
 

"The Art of Peace is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On occasion the Voice of Peace resounds like thunder, jolting human beings out of their stupor."

 
- Morihei Ueshiba O’Sensei
 
"The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men."

 

"By oneself one must censure oneself and scrutinize oneself. The self-guarded and mindful monk will always live in happiness."
 
"He who does no evil in deed, word and thought, who is restrained in these three ways - him do I call a holy man."
 
- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"103. Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.
104. Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others. Not even a god, an angel, Mara or Brahma can turn into defeat the victory of a person who is self-subdued and ever restrained in conduct."
 
- The Dhammapada
 
"It is a good thing for a man not to be able to do what he likes. But there are two ways of keeping him from it. One is by the law, the other is by the Spirit of God. The law works on a man from the outside by fear; but the Spirit of God works in a man by honour, by the sense of duty, by making him like and love what is right, and making him see what a beautiful and noble thing right is."
 
- Saint Paul
 
"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."
 
- Feisal Abdul Rauf
 
"Rather than finding the devil "out there," we battle the devil within us. The revolution starts inside each of us."
 
- Shane Claiborne
 
"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self."

 

- Aristotle

 

"The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self."

 

- Albert Einstein

 

"I complained to my rabbi and said it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t given an easier nature. His response was very helpful.
He quoted me a well-known letter of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner. Rav Hutner wrote a student that exactly in the place where he has to fight battles with himself, there he will find his greatness. One serves the Almighty precisely to the degree he has to overcome difficulties.
After this talk I began to view each battle … as an opportunity to express my love for my Creator. I felt a profound sense of victory every time I won a battle."

 

- Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

 

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law."

 

- Galatians 15:16-18

 

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

- Galatians 5:22-23

"8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined."

- Titus 1:8
 

"Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled."

- Titus 2:6

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

- Hebrews 12:11

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

- 2 Timothy 1:7

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control."

- Proverbs 25:28

"Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city."

- Proverbs 16:32

"When something goes wrong, look deep into yourself  -  not in an emotional way, to blame yourself or indulge your feelings of guilt, but to make sure that you start your next campaign with a firmer step and greater vision."

 

- Robert Greene

 

"Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul."

 

- Ezra Taft Benson

 

"All of the truly important battles are waged within the self."

 

- Sheldon B. Kopp

 

"The greatest battle you ever have to win is the battle within yourself."

 

- Eli Soriano

 

"More often than not, a heroes most epic battle is the one you never see; it’s the battle that goes on within him or herself."

 

- Kevin Smith

 

"The only battle to win is the battle within, that place where we realize that we deserve to have and create all that we want in our lives."

 

- Ali Vincent

 

The greatest challenges are from within

 

"No man is free who is not master of himself."

- Epictetus

"No man is free who cannot command himself."

- Pythagoras

"No confict is so severe as his who labors to subdue himself."     

- Thomas Kempis

"Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself."

"The only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself."    

- Elie Wiesel

"You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself."

- Da Vinci

"Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock."    

- Mahatma Gandhi

"The man who masters his own soul will forever be called conqueror of conquerors."    

- Plautus

"The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and objectionable."

"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories."

- Plato

"As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom."

- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

"Self-command is the main elegance."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You can’t always control the wind, but you can control your sails."     

- Dr. Bob Chope

"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them, if they will not apply themselves to me."    

- Michel de Montaigne

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."     

- William Henley

"If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self."

- Napoleon Hill

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves."    

- Harry S. Truman

"Rule your mind or it will rule you."

- Horace

"Serving one’s own passions is the greatest slavery."

- Thomas Fuller

"It is one of the strange ironies of this strange life that those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest men."

- Brutus Hamilton

"Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."

- Abraham Joshua Heschel

"The most powerful control we can ever attain is to be in control of ourselves."

- Chris Page

 

"A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering."

 

"A spiritual practice is a constant battle within, replacing previous negative conditioning or habituation with new positive conditioning."

 

- Dalai Lama

 

"The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself, the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us, that’s where it’s at."

 

- Jesse Owens

 

"The most challenging of all resistance comes from within. The similarity with all warriors is that they’re always battling demons within themselves. It’s a constant battle, that has to be fought non-stop."

 

- Tim Kennedy

 

"It is Zen practice that you gain power, balance, and wisdom. The battles that you fight are within your own mind. That is where the real victories and defeats are."

 

- Frederick Lenz

 

"Saints and sages, thinkers and philosophers, priests and scientific inquirers have tried for centuries to understand the enigmatic nature of the human soul. They find man a paradoxical being; one capable of descent into the darkest abysses of evil, and yet equally capable of ascent to the sublimest heights of nobility. They discover two creatures within his breast - one related to the demons and the other related to the angels."

 

- Paul Brunton

 

"There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil - he is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed."

 
- Cherokee proverb

 

روزی ز سر سنگ عقابی به هوا خاست
واندر طلب طعمه پر و بال بیاراست

بر راستی بال نظر کرد و چنین گفت
امروز همه روی زمین زیر پر ماست

بر اوج فلک چون بپرم از نظر تیز
می‌بینم اگر ذره‌ای اندر ته دریاست

گر بر سر خاشاک یکی پشّه بجنبد
جنبیدن آن پشّه عیان در نظر ماست

بسیار منی کرد و ز تقدیر نترسید
بنگر که از این چرخ جفا پیشه چه برخاست

ناگه ز کمینگاه یکی سخت کمانی
تیری ز قضا و قدر انداخت بر او راست

بر بال عقاب آمد آن تیر جگر دوز
وز ابر مر او را بسوی خاک فرو کاست

بر خاک بیفتاد و بغلتید چو ماهی
وانگاه پر خویش گشاد از چپ و از راست

گفتا عجب است این که ز چوب است و ز آهن
این تیزی و تندیّ و پریدنش کجا خاست

چون نیک نگه کرد و پر خویش بر او دید
گفتا ز که نالیم که از ماست که بر ماست

"One day an eagle rose in the air from the top of a rock,
spurred by greed he arranged his feathers.

Looking at his feathers so rightly arranged, he said,
'Today the whole face of the earth is under my wing.

When I reach the highest point, I can fly from the eye of the sun,
I can see a mere morsel deep in the sea.

If a midge but wriggles on the end of a leaf
that wriggling midge is seen by my eyes.'

He boasted much, and had no fear of God’s decree.
Now see, what cruel fate dealt out:

Suddenly, one strong bow struck from an ambush:
as fate and God’s decree would have it, an arrow sped straight at him.

That liver-piercing arrow entered the eagle’s wing
and threw him from his cloud to earth.

He fell to the ground, thrashed around like a fish,
then pulled his own feathers out, left and right.

He said, 'What’s a wonder is, it’s made of iron and wood,
where does it get its swiftness and flight?'

He looked at the arrow, saw his own feather on it, and said:
'What am I complaining about? What came from me, returned to me.'"

"An eagle sat on a lofty rock, watching the movements of a hare, whom he sought to make his prey. An archer, who saw him from a place of concealment, took an accurate aim, and wounded him mortally. The Eagle gave one look at the arrow that had entered his heart, and saw in that single glance that its feathers had been furnished by himself. 'It is a double grief to me,' he exclaimed, 'that I should perish by an arrow feathered from my own wings.'"

 
- Nasir Khusraw

اگر این درنده‌خویی ز طبیعتت بمیرد
همه عمر زنده باشی به روان آدمیت
…
طیران مرغ دیدی تو ز پای‌بند شهوت
به در آی تا ببینی طیران آدمیت
 
"If this beast instinct dies in your nature
You live a whole life by a human nature

…

You have watched the flight of birds;
Should you remove the shackles of lust,
You will witness the flight of man"

 

- Saadi Shirazi
 
گفت دانایی که: گرگی خیره سر
هست پنهان در نهاد هر بشر
 
لاجرم جاری است پیکاری سترگ
روز و شب، مابین این انسان و گرگ
 
زور بازو چارهٔ این گرگ نیست
صاحب اندیشه داند چاره چیست
 
ای بسا انسان رنجور پریش
سخت پیچیده گلوی گرگ خویش
 
وی بسا زور آفرین مرد دلیر
هست در چنگال گرگ خود اسیر
 
"A tenacious wolf, said a wise man once,
Is hidden deep within each of us.
 
Hence, an immense daily struggle is ongoing,
Between the wolf and the human being.
 
Might alone will not this wolf subdue,
One with intellect would know what to do.
 
Many a man, weak and grieved,
Have their wolves by the throat seized.
 
And, many a man, courageous and strong,
Have been trapped in their wolves’ claws for long."
 
- Fereydoon Moshiri 

گر به دولت برسی مست نگردی، مردی
گـــر به ذلت برسی پست نگردی، مردی
اهل عــــــالم همه بازیچه دست هوسند
گـــــر تو بازیچه این دست نگردی، مردی

"If you reach government and don't get around as a drunk, then you are a man
If you reach misery and don't get around as a dishonorable, then you are a man
World inhabitants are all played by the hand of desire
If you don't get played by this hand, then you are a man"

- Badr Al-Din Jajarmi

 
"The warrior is the one who combats his inner self."
 
"One who struggles against himself so as to obey God, in the eyes of God, his station is that of a pious martyr."
 
"The person who teaches and instructs his own self is more entitled to esteem then he who teaches and instructs others."

 
"Your nafs [the ego, the self] is your battlefield, therefore if you prevail over it, you will have more power over the nafs of others, and if you lose in it you will have less power over the nafs of others, therefore first try fighting it."
 
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"He who has complete control over himself (nafs), when he desires something as well as when he fears something, when he is angry as well as when he is pleased, Allah prohibits the Fire of Hell from touching his body."

 

- Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq

 

"His constant fight is with the Nafs (self-interest), the root of all disharmony and the only enemy of man. By crushing this enemy man gains mastery over himself; this wins for him mastery over the whole universe, because the wall standing between the self and the Almighty has been broken down. Gentleness, mildness, respect, humility, modesty, self-denial, conscientiousness, tolerance and forgiveness are considered by the Sufi as the attributes which produce harmony within one's own soul as well as within that of another."

 
- Hazrat Inayat Khan

 
"My Nafs screams out for what it desires. But my will to be free screams louder."

 
- Yasmin Mogahed

 

"To be imprisoned behind bars is a loss, but to be imprisoned by one's own desires and to become a slave to one's self is the ultimate loss."

 

- Yasir Qadhi

 

"Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see - Egoism, Arrogance, Conceit, Selfishness, Greed, Lust, Intolerance, Anger, Lying, Cheating and Gossiping and Slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be ready to fight the enemy you can see."

- Imam Al-Ghazali

"One who knows thyself perfectly is blessed with enthusiasm without which success is impossible."

 
"The main factor behind success is - self control."

- The Rig Veda

 

प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम् |
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम् ||
 
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मष: |
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते ||
 
"Supreme bliss comes to a Self-realized yogi whose mind is tranquil, whose desires are under control, and who is free from faults or sin. Such a sinless yogi, who constantly engages his or her mind and intellect with the Self, enjoys the eternal bliss of contact with the Self." (6:27-28)

 

"The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self; there remains nothing more for him to accomplish."

 

"Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self."

 

"The senses have been conditioned by attraction to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant: a man should not be ruled by them; they are obstacles in his path."

 
"Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end."

 
"That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end – this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself."

 

"Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery, Arjuna. The wise do not look for happiness in them. But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger which arise in the body are made whole and live in joy. They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman."

 
"Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self."

 
"To those who have conquered themselves, the will is a friend. But it is the enemy of those who have not found the Self within them."

 
"Let a man raise himself by his own efforts. Let him not degrade himself.
Because a person's best friend or his worst enemy is none other than his own self."

 

"The senses are higher than the body, the mind higher than the senses; above the mind is the intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman. Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the Atman rule the ego. Use your mighty arms to slay the fierce enemy that is selfish desire."

 

"For a person who has conquered his lower self by the divine self, his own self acts as his best friend. But for that person who has not conquered his lower self, his own self acts as his worst enemy."

 

"The supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame."

 

- The Bhagavad Gita

 

"You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself."

 

"If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished."

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

"Generally speaking, consciousness, i.e. consciousness of self, is the decisive criterion of the self. The more consciousness, the more self; the more consciousness, the more will, and the more will the more self. A man who has no will at all is no self; the more will he has, the more consciousness of self he has also."

 

- Soren Kierkegaard

 

"Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully."

 
- Richard Bach

 

"Conscience is God present in man."

 - Victor Hugo
 
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."

"This above all; to thine own self be true."

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

- William Shakespeare

 

"Your worst enemy is hiding within yourself, and that enemy is your nafs or false ego."

 

"Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to Light."

 

"He whose intellect overcomes his desire is higher than the angels; he whose desire overcomes his intellect is less than an animal."

 
"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself."

 

- Rumi

 

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

 

- Helen Schucman

 

"You yourself are your own obstacle, rise above yourself."
 
- Hafez
 
"Since love has spoken in your soul, reject
The Self, that whirlpool where our lives are wrecked;
As Jesus rode his donkey, ride on it;
Your stubborn Self must bear you and submit -
Then burn this Self and purify your soul;
Let Jesus' spotless spirit be your goal.
Destroy this burden, and before your eyes
The Holy Ghost in glory will arise."

 
- Attar

 

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."
 
"Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas."

- Benjamin Franklin

 

"The truly powerful person is the one who has conquered himself."

 

"The best combat is the combat of one who fights his inner self."

 

"Wealth is not from a lot of money. Wealth is the independence of the self."
 
"The best of Jihad is that man strives against his soul and desires."

 
"The greatest Jihad is to battle your own soul, to fight the evil within yourself."

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
 
"… By the soul and (by) Him who made it perfect, and then inspired it to understand what is wrong and what is right for it. Truly is successful the one who purifies (his soul)." (91:7-9)
 
"But as for he who feared the standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from [his] desire, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge." (79:40-41)
 

"So if they fail to respond to you, then know that they only follow their desires. And who could be more astray than those who follow their desires with no guidance from Allah?..." (28:50)

"And do not follow ˹your˺ desires or they will lead you astray from Allah’s Way." (38:26)

"... So do not let your desires cause you to deviate ˹from justice˺..." (4:135)

- The Quran

 

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
مَلِكِ النَّاسِ
إِلَهِ النَّاسِ
مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ
مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
The Sovereign of mankind.
The God of mankind,
From the evil of the retreating whisperer -
Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind -
From among the jinn and mankind.'"

- The Quran
Surah 114 An-Nas
 The Mankind

 
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