Als Inspirational Quotes

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, don't you?

Be empty of worrying. Think of who created thought! Why do you stay in prison When the door is so wide open?

The truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth.

An eye is meant to see things. The soul is here for its own joy. A head has one use: For loving a true love. Feet: To chase after. Love is for vanishing into the sky. The mind, for learning what men have done and tried to do. Mysteries are not to be solved: The eye goes blind when it only wants to see why. A lover is always accused of something. But when he finds his love, whatever was lost in the looking comes back completely changed.

Many people pray to be kept out of unexpected problems. Some people pray to be able to confront and overcome them.

Don't try to steer the boat. Don't open shop for yourself. Listen. Keep silent. You are not God's mouthpiece. Try to be an ear, And if you do speak, ask for explanations.

Caminante, no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar. (Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks.)

Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road-- Only wakes upon the sea. Caminante, son tus huellas el camino, y nada más; caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Al andar se hace camino, y al volver la vista atrás se ve la senda que nunca se ha de volver a pisar. Caminante, no hay camino, sino estelas en la mar.

You have forgotten the One who doesn't care about ownership, who doesn't try to turn a profit from every human exchange.

Sama juga kalau untuk contoh lelaki. Kalau baca Al - Quran hari-hari, tapi main bola nampak kepala lutut,tak cukup balik lagi.Atau kalau solat lima waktu sehari semalam tapi pegang tangan anak dara orang bukan mahram sesuka hati, tu belum cukup baik lagi.

The same wind that uproots trees makes the grass shine. The lordly wind loves the weakness and the lowness of grasses. Never brag of being strong. The axe doesn't worry how thick the branches are. It cuts them to pieces. But not the leaves. It leaves the leaves alone.

You're water. We're the millstone. You're wind. We're dust blown up into shapes. You're spirit. We're the opening and closing of our hands. You're the clarity. We're the language that tries to say it. You're joy. We're all the different kinds of laughing.

You soak up my soul and mingle me. Each drop of my blood cries out to the earth. We are partners, blended as one.

Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo. Macondo era entonces una aldea de 20 casas de barro y cañabrava construidas a la orilla de un río de aguas diáfanas que se precipitaban por un lecho de piedras pulidas, blancas y enormes como huevos prehistóricos. El mundo era tan reciente, que muchas cosas carecían de nombre, y para mencionarlas había que señalarlas con el dedo".

Islam and Christianity promise eternal paradise to the faithful. And that is a powerful opiate, certainly, the hope of a better life to come. But there's a Sufi story that challenges the notion that people believe only because they need an opiate. Rabe'a al-Adiwiyah, a great woman saint of Sufism, was seem running through the streets of her hometown, Basra, carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When someone asked her what she was doing, she answered, 'I am going to take this bucket of water and pour it on the flames of hell, and then I am going to use this torch to burn down the gates of paradise so that people will not love God for want of heaven of fear of hell, but because He is God.

God picks up the reed-flute world and blows. Each note is a need coming through one of us, a passion, a longing pain. Remember the lips where the wind-breath originated, and let your note be clear. Don't try to end it. Be your note.

Rugi kalau stress, mending kita bekerja keras. Wali kelasku pernah memberi motivasi yang sangat mengena di hati. Katanya, kalau ingin sukses dan berprestasi dalam bidang apa pun, maka lakukanlah dengan prinsip 'saajtahidu fauzq mustawa al-akhar'. Bahwa aku akan berjuang dengan usaha di atas rata-rata yang dilakukan orang lain.

Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz -- Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.

There is no such thing as magic, supernatural, miracle; only something that's still beyond logic of the observer.

If you're not happy in life then you need to change, calibrate, readjust...flush your negative energy and fill it with positive energy; How do we do that you might ask? well I would start by making others happy, deseases are not the only thing that spreads easy. We are all connected in some form of unseen energy... think how those around you will impact you and make you feel if they were happy?

It is He who is revealed in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature. al-Futûhât al-Makkiyya

There has to be new words to explain new worlds.

Sama juga kalau untuk contoh lelaki. Kalau baca Al-Qur'an hari-hari, tapi main bola nampak kepala lutut, tak cukup baik lagi. Atau kalau solat lima waktu sehari semalam tapi pegang tangan anak dara orang bukan mahram sesuka hati, tu belum cukup baik lagi.

Without you the instruments would die. One sits close beside you. Another takes a long kiss. The tambourine begs, Touch my skin so I can be myself. Let me feel you enter each limb bone by bone, that what died last night can be whole today. Why live some soberer way, and feel you ebbing out? I won't do it. Either give me enough wine or leave me alone, now that I know how it is to be with you in constant conversation.

As many know, the Chinese expression for "crisis" consists of two characters side by side. The first is the symbol for "danger," the second the symbol for "opportunity."

The race for excellence has no finish line.

-Sí, al borde del vacío comprendió lo más importante - maulló Zorbas. -Ah, sí? Y qué es lo que comprendió -preguntó el humano. -Que sólo vuela el que se atreve a hacerlo - maulló Zorbas.

I want to show the world how darkness can sometimes be so beautiful.

An easy life does not make men, nor does it build nations. Challenges make men, and it is these men who build nations.

At beyond continent of reality, there are oceans of ideas.

Hendaknya kita mengukur ilmu bukan dari tumpukan buku yang kita habiskan. Bukan dari tumpukan naskah yang kita hasilkan. Bukan juga dari penatnya mulut dalam diskusi tak putus yang kita jalani. Tapi…dari amal (action) yang keluar dari setiap desah nafas kita

We can spend out lives letting others dictate our narrative, and cast ourselves as the victims. Or we can realize the truth: that we are the creators of our own story.

Simplicity starts in the heart, away from negativity and pessimism.

Global warming, along with the cutting and burning of forests and other critical habitats, is causing the loss of living species at a level comparable to the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. That event was believed to have been caused by a giant asteroid. This time it is not an asteroid colliding with the Earth and wreaking havoc: it is us.

Whoever convinces himself that he is not worthy of first position has doomed himself to failure from the very beginning.

To take risk and fail is not a failure. Real failure is to fear taking any risk

Scientists may have sophisticated laboratories, But never forget 'eureka' was inspired in a bathtub.

Misi yang dimaksud adalah ketika kalian melakukan sesuatu hal positif dengan kualitas sangat tinggi dan di saat yang sama menikmati prosesnya. Bila kalian merasakan sangat baik melakukan suatu hal dengan usaha yang minimum, mungkin itu adalah misi hidup yang diberikan Tuhan. Carilah misi kalian masing-masing. Mungkin misi kalian adalah belajar Al-Quran, mungkin menjadi orator, mungkin membaca puisi, mungkin menulis, mungkin apa saja. Temukan dan semoga kalian menjadi orang yang berbahagia.

Cuando llegas al final de tu vida y ves como te acercas a la eternidad, lo unico que importa es que hayas querido de todo corazon a tus seres queridos, nada mas.

Change or you will be changed: leaders who neglect the good of their people will be forsaken. Leadership is a service, not a gateway to privilege.

Once you discover that you can, you must.

Es gibt mehr Leute, die kapitulieren, als solche, die scheitern.

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in switch licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So Priketh hem Nature in hir corages), Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke

He was decisive and wholehearted in everything he did, so intent non the task at hand that he never looked over his shoulder, even if his cloak got caught in a thorny bush. When he did turn to speak to somebody, he used to swing his entire body and dress him full face. When he shook hands, he was never the first to withdraw his own. He inspired such confidence that he was known as al-Amin, the Reliable One.

A true leader is one who creates a favourable environment to bring out the energy and ability of his team. A great leader creates more great leaders, and does not reduce the institution to a single person.

Kein Schiff trägt uns besser in ferne Länder, als ein Buch.

Al final del camino me dirán: —¿Has vivido? ¿Has amado? Y yo, sin decir nada, abriré el corazón lleno de nombres.

Hanya hati yang berdarah-darah sajalah yang mampu melihat cahayaNya" (kata-kata Syams kepada istrinya, Kimya, yang juga anak angkat Rumi)

Each time we use our cell phones, snap pictures with a camera, or use a search engine’s algorithms, we benefit from the legacy of Muhammad’s modern mindset. His mindset is not tied to Mecca or Medina, for as the Golden Age political philosopher Al-Farabi observed, “Medina is not a location but the manner in which a community comes together.” Indeed, people of any culture or race can establish a “place of flowing change.” As Muhammad declared in the final days of his life, “My progeny are those who uphold my legacy!

I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: we can transmit it to others.

Our job is to provide an environment that unlocks women’s potential – one that protects their dignity and femininity, helps them create the necessary balance in their lives, and values their talents and potential. Given this environment, I am confident that women will perform nothing short of miracles.

Beheading, burying and burning humans alive are extreme acts of cruelty. Such crimes against humanity must be investigated and the guilty parties brought to justice. May ALL victims rest in peace!

I wanted to travel the world and sail every sea. I wanted to have adventures, to be a hero, to have my tales told in courtyards and street fairs, where perhaps kids who’d grown up like me, with more imagination than means, might be inspired to dream. Where women who were told there was only one sort of respectful life for them could listen to tales of another who’d broken away—and thrived when she’d done so.

It is such a beautiful life, but many people spend it worrying, burdened and frowning. You can easily see the beauty of life in the laughter of a child, the tenderness of a mother, the smile of a friend or the love of a compassionate wife.

Al actuar y ser como eres ahora, estás determinando la forma de ser y actuar de los demás.

Competition always makes you stronger and better. Competition is feared only by the weak.

Dubai was founded on trade, not oil.

Con los pies ligeros nos adentramos en la noche para robarle horas al propio tiempo y magia a la mismísima luna.

Wer auf dem Kopf geht, der hat den Himmel als Abgrund unter sich.

La luz es mala, no al contrario, y por eso deberíamos aprender a mantenerla apagada. La luz descubre cosas que la oscuridad esconde, como la sangre y los sentimientos; en cambio, las sombras son sabias, y si hay algo guardado en ellas probablemente es porque tiene que estar ahí.

People are responsible for themselves. All you can do is try to inspire each person to be his best self.

How to be happy in life? The short and simple answer is to SMILE more often!

Las heridas incurables que recibe el corazón son la contraprestación natural que las personas tienen que pagar al mundo por su independencia.

La mejor forma de defenderte, es no parecerte al ellos

No serum can vhange who you are. Nor should you change. Genius or madness--it al depends on who's telling the story.

The impossible cannot be where there is perseverance and faith. There is no impossible in life.

Love me until the flames of the last star burn out

Memoria selectiva para recordar lo bueno, prudencia logica para no arruinar el presente y optimismo desafiante para encarar al futuro.

Assembling a coherent portrait of Muhammad’s life required piecing together scattered fragments and structuring them in an organized manner. What emerged from the reconstruction was the realization that Muhammad had endured terrible setbacks and traumatic suffering, only to turn his brokenness into an asset, unlocking latent abilities to improve the world around him. Moved by his own experience in overcoming challenges, Muhammad dedicated himself to inspiring others to see their imperfections as the very source of their potential. Despite all the pain, Muhammad refused to see himself as a victim. His nickname al- Badr Laylat At-Tamam (the fullest moon) referred to illumination of the darkness by his bright shining face.

Al observar el cielo nocturno, había algo que tiraba de ella, algo que la empujaba a ver más que estrellas, a encontrar un sentido en el caos del firmamento , a extraer de él una imagen precisa.

Berjaga malam kerana mencari ilmu lebih nikmat bagiku daripada kekayaan ....Suara goresan pena di atas kertasku lebih merdu daripada alunan lagu kesamaran, lebih indah daripada tabuhan rebana remaja puteri, sedangkan lembaran tulisanku menebarkan butiran pasir hikmah... -Az-Zamakhsyari

I mean it wasn’t an empty hole, there was al­ways some­thing in it, but it was never right. It never fit. I went to col­lege for a short time, until I sat back one day and said to my­self: An­drew, what the fuck are you doing here? And it clicked in my head that I wasn’t there be­cause it’s what I wanted, I was there be­cause it’s what peo­ple ex­pected, even peo­ple I don’t know, so­ci­ety. It’s what peo­ple do.

Vlinders zijn de meest vergankelijke, gracieuze schepsels ter wereld. Ze worden uit het niets geboren, verlangen stilletjes naar iets heel kleins en beperkts, om uiteindelijk weer als in het niets te verdwijnen.

AL INFIERNO CON LA GUERRA

We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone.

Opportunities are made, they do not just lie around waiting for someone to grab them.

Life was created simple and it is important to live it as such. Simplicity is inherent; it leads to peace of mind and tranquility.

I have said it loud and clear: Beware, men, lest women deprive you of all the leadership positions in the country.

I might go easy on people who make mistakes, but never on people who make no effort.

Not every rider is a horseman and not every horseman is a knight.

Remember: Bad timing equals great plot twists.

Gamal Abdul Nasir pernah berjanji kepada kita untuk melemparkan Israel ke dalam lautan, namun beliau malah menyerahkan Sinai kepada Israel, menghumban para ulama ke dalam penjara dan kemudian membunuh mereka di tali gantung. Saddam Hussein pernah berjanji akan membakar separuh bumi Israel dengan senjata kimianya, namun beliau malah membakar bumi Kuwait dan menyelamatkan bangsa Israel. Ahmadi Nejad sekarang telah mengucapkan talak tiga kepada Israel dan berjanji menghapus kewujudan negara Israel dari peta dunia, namun saya khuatir beliau malah membasmi kita dan membiarkan bangsa Israel tetap selamat!!....

Ibn Mas'ud said, "When 'Umar died nine-tenth of all knowledge vanished with him." The people were shocked and said, "How can this be when among us now are still many of the great companions?" Ibn Mas'ud replied,"I am not speaking of the knowledge of fiqh and the science of judgements, I'm speaking about the knowledge of Allah." This struggle of isolation, hunger, sleeplessness, weeping, fear and endless service to men was for this end. The journey is only for knowledge of Allah and the whole of it lies in detachment from everything that passes away. First from what is displeasing to Allah, then from one's self-illusion and desires, and then from all men and all otherness until there is only isolation and extreme nearness to Allah.

Everybody starts small. We all begin life as a single cell. Every business starts as one person with an idea. How fast you go, how far you get, is in your hands. The bigger your vision, the bigger your achievement will be. Will you stumble on the way? Perhaps, but we cannot let fear keep us small. We have to be brave to be big.

Remember you future counselors and bringers of relief: there will never be a cure for life's problems because so many of tomorrow's problems will be new. Good words, like good work and good thinking, help, even if good words are a lot like highway paint. They can keep plenty of heavy things moving at 70 MPH from going the wrong way. But that doesn't mean life won't cross over if it has to. Learn to avoid the collisions. Find other directions. Often a new yes is the best no. Life lived well doesn't get easier but it does get better. Learn to let things go by. And don't be reluctant: life is al[l]ways surpassing us by. Enjoy it.

God, thank you for waking me up this morning. I want to embrace every day, however limited my day may be, as a gift from God. I want to live this day to its fullest. I know there are things I can no longer do. I know I am facing daily limitations. But I want to focus on what I can do, not on what I cannot do. So help me God. I know this day will never be repeated. I know I cannot live it over again. Help me to live it to its fullest.

Ignorare è il modo migliore per sopravvivere e io volevo solo questo: sopravvivere. Chiudere gli occhi e respirare dalla bocca senza sentire il tanfo della vita intorno a me. Volevo stare al mondo come una pianta in un vaso e farmi annaffiare da qualcuno fino alla fine dei miei giorni senza conoscere mai il nome di quel qualcuno. Senza amarlo, per non sentirlo mancare mai.

Most people, when directly confronted by evidence that they are wrong, do not change their point of view or course of action but justify it even more tenaciously. Even irrefutable evidence is rarely enough to pierce the mental armor of self-justification. When we began working on this book, the poster boy for "tenacious clinging to a discredited belief" was George W. Bush. Bush was wrong in his claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, he was wrong in claiming that Saddam was linked with Al Qaeda, he was wrong in predicting that Iraqis would be dancing joyfully in the streets to receive the American soldiers, he was wrong in predicting that the conflict would be over quickly, he was wrong in his gross underestimate of the financial cost of the war, and he was most famously wrong in his photo-op speech six weeks after the invasion began, when he announced (under a banner reading MISSION ACCOMPLISHED) that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended.

War crimes, you say? No matter how many policies you put on paper, in reality, there are no rights and wrongs in war. War itself is a crime. War cannot be justified. I believe, the only people, in this world, whose opinions matter, are the ones who go the extra mile to help other people expecting nothing in return. Soldiers who fight fiercely for their country, the doctors in Sri Lanka's public hospitals attending to hundreds of patients at a time for no extra pay , the nuns who voluntarily teach English and math to children of refugee camps in the north, the monks who collect food to feed entire villages during crises, they are the people worth listening to, their opinion matters. So find me one of them who will say: they wish the war didn't end in 2009, that they wish Sri Lanka was divided into two parts. Find me one of them who agrees with the international war crime allegations against Sri Lanka, and I will listen. But I will not listen to the opinions of those who are paid to find faults in a war they were never a part of, a war they never experienced themselves. I will not listen to the opinions of those who watched the war on tv or read about it on the internet or were moved by a documentary on Al Jazeera. The war is over. The damage is done. Let Sri Lanka move on. So our children will never have to see what we've seen.

The archetype of the witch is long overdue for celebration. Daughters, mothers, queens, virgins, wives, et al. derive meaning from their relation to another person. Witches, on the other hand, have power on their own terms. They have agency. They create. They praise. They commune with nature/ Spirit/God/dess/Choose-your-own-semantics, freely, and free of any mediator. But most importantly: they make things happen. The best definition of magic I’ve been able to come up with is “symbolic action with intent" — “action" being the operative word. Witches are midwives to metamorphosis. They are magical women, and they, quite literally, change the world.

Descubrí muchas cosas aquel verano, y no sólo un collar perdido. Descubrí que el Paraíso puede encontrarse en el tacto de una piel suave, que las caricias son más fuertes que los golpes, que los besos pueden hacerte volar; descubrí que había sentimientos insospechados en mi interior que se puede reír y llorar al mismo tiempo, que es tan excitante querer como ser querido; descubrí, en definitiva, algo tan simple y tan complejo, tan vulgar y tan extraordinario, tan dulce y tan amargo, como el amor.

I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved respect: I tend to find them all hysterical in the end. Especially if someone similar is there to set me off. They don't have to do much: I recognize what it looks like when somebody's composure starts to strip itself away. They'll maybe cross their arms with that twitchy, shaky, tension, or they'll grab down little wheezes of embarrassed air, or they'll simply hood their faces under their palm, trying to hide how fast they're slipping, how fast *we're* slipping, because I'll be weakening with them by then, I'll be just as lost, pulled equally tight against the moment when we both stop caring and let it disgrace us -- when we laugh.

Am intrat în închisoare orb, cu vagi străfulgerări autogene ale beznei, care despică întunericul fără a-l risipi, şi ies cu ochii deschişi. Am intrat răsfăţat, răzgâiat. Ies vindecat de fasoane, nazuri, ifose. Am intrat nemulţumit. Ies cunoscând fericirea. Am intrat nervos, supărăcios, sensibil la fleacuri. Ies nepăsător. Soarele şi viaţa îmi spuneau puţin. Acum ştiu să gust felioara de pâine cât de mică. Ies admirând mai presus de orice curajul, demnitatea, onoarea, eroismul. Ies împăcat. Cu cei cărora le-am greşit, cu prietenii şi duşmanii mei, ba şi cu mine însumi".

Qué trágica tradición la de esa clase de familias que sólo aspiran a un presunto bienestar, que no estimulan otro deseo que el de la avaricia y que no infunden otro reconocimiento que el de la deuda; que no vacilan en coartar la libertad de los hijos, infundiéndoles desde niños el sentido de una responsabilidad estéril. Qué negros contrasentidos, qué falta de generosidad la de tantas gentes que pasan por este mundo no para gozar sus bienes sino para correr en pos de un engaño atroz y para llegar al término de su aliento sin haber conocido un momento de reposo y deleite..., vicisitudes de la miseria, ay, arcanos de la voluntad. ¿Me decía usted algo?

According to Ibn ‘Abbās, may God be pleased with him and his father, the Prophet David, God bless him and give him peace, used to say in his intimate Prayers: ‘My God, who inhabits Your House? And from whom do you accept the Prayer?’ Then God told him by inspiration: ‘David, he who inhabits My House, and he whose Prayer I accept, is none but he who is humble before My Majesty, spends his days in remembrance of Me and keeps his passions in check for My sake, giving food to the hungry and shelter to the stranger and treating the afflicted with compassion. His light shines in the sky like the sun. If he invokes Me, I am at his service. If he asks of Me, I grant his request. In the midst of ignorance, I give him discernment; in heedlessness, remembrance, in darkness, light. He stands out among ordinary people as Paradise towers over earthly gardens, its rivers inexhaustible and its fruits not subject to decay.

Ik denk dat ieder mens twee levens leidt, een vanbinnen en een vanbuiten. Subject en object. Het leven vanbinnen is het ware, het echte. Ik denk dat de mensen mooi worden als hun binnenleven doorschijnt naar buiten, als ze niet nadenken wat voor indruk ze maken, als ze vergeten toneel te spelen. Dat denk ik. Er zijn ook mensen bij wie het precies andersom is, die alleen maar buitenkant zijn, die alleen een leeg omhulsel zijn, die voortdurend moeten weten wat voor indruk ze maken, die leven om gezien te worden. Mensen die een houding aannemen. Triest. Dat soort mensen zijn net pingpongballetjes, een harde buitenkant en leeg van binnen. Niets te vinden. Totaal oninteressant.

El estudio de la economía no parece exigir ningún don especializado de un orden excepcionalmente superior. ¿No es una disciplina muy fácil comparada con las ramas superiores de la filosofía o la ciencia pura?. Una disciplina fácil de la que muy pocos sobresalen. La paradoja tal vez tenga su explicación en que el economista experto debe poseer una rara combinación de dones. Debe ser en cierta medida matemático, historiador, estadista, filosofo. Debe comprender los símbolos y hablar en palabras. Debe contemplar lo particular desde la óptica de lo general y considerar en un mismo razonamiento lo abstracto y lo concreto. Debe estudiar el presente pensando en el futuro. Ningún aspecto de la naturaleza del hombre o de sus instituciones debe quedarse al margen de su consideración. Debe ser simultáneamente decidido y desinteresado; tan distante e incorruptible como un artista y, sin embargo a veces tan cerca del suelo como un político

La raison qui m’a conduit à proférer de la poésie (shi‘r) est que j’ai vu en songe un ange qui m’apportait un morceau de lumière blanche ; on eût dit qu’il provenait du soleil. « Qu’est-ce que cela ? », Demandai-je. « C’est la sourate al-shu‘arâ (Les Poètes) » me fut-il répondu. Je l’avalai et je sentis un cheveu (sha‘ra) qui remontait de ma poitrine à ma gorge, puis à ma bouche. C’était un animal avec une tête, une langue, des yeux et des lèvres. Il s’étendit jusqu’à ce que sa tête atteigne les deux horizons, celui d’Orient et celui d’Occident. Puis il se contracta et revint dans ma poitrine ; je sus alors que ma parole atteindrait l’Orient et l’Occident. Quand je revins à moi, je déclamai des vers qui ne procédaient d’aucune réflexion ni d’aucune intellection. Depuis lors cette inspiration n’a jamais cessé.

Bisognerebbe saper attendere, raccogliere, per una vita intera e possibilmente lunga, senso e dolcezza, e poi, proprio alla fine, si potrebbero forse scrivere dieci righe valide. Perché i versi non sono, come crede la gente, sentimenti (che si acquistano precocemente), sono esperienze. Per scrivere un verso bisogna vedere molte città, uomini e cose, bisogna conoscere gli animali, bisogna capire il volo degli uccelli e comprendere il gesto con cui i piccoli fiori si aprono al mattino. Bisogna saper ripensare a itinerari in regioni sconosciute, a incontri inaspettati e congedi previsti da tempo, a giorni dell'infanzia ancora indecifrati, ai genitori che eravamo costretti a ferire quando portavano una gioia e non la comprendevamo (era una gioia per qualcun altro), a malattie infantili che cominciavano in modo così strano con tante profonde e grevi trasformazioni, a giorni in stanze silenziose e raccolte e a mattine sul mare, al mare sopratutto, a mari, a notti di viaggio che passavano con un alto fruscio e volavano assieme alle stelle - e ancora non è sufficiente poter pensare a tutto questo. Bisogna avere ricordi di molte notti d'amore, nessuna uguale all'altra, di grida di partorienti e di lievi, bianche puerpere addormentate che si rimarginano. Ma bisogna anche essere stati accanto ad agonizzanti, bisogna essere rimasti vicino ai morti nella stanza con la finestra aperta e i rumori intermittenti. E non basta ancora avere ricordi. Bisogna saperli dimenticare, quando sono troppi, e avere la grande pazienza di attendere che ritornino. Perché i ricordi in sé ancora non sono. Solo quando diventano sangue in noi, sguardo e gesto, anonimi e non più distinguibili da noi stessi, soltanto allora può accadere che in un momento eccezionale si levi dal loro centro e sgorghi la prima parola di un verso.

Es geht die alte Sage, dass König Midas lange Zeit nach dem weisen Silen, dem Begleiter des Dionysus, im Walde gejagt habe, ohne ihn zu fangen. Als er ihm endlich in die Hände gefallen ist, fragt der König, was für den Menschen das Allerbeste und Allervorzüglichste sei. Starr und unbeweglich schweigt der Dämon; bis er, durch den König gezwungen, endlich unter gellem Lachen in diese Worte ausbricht: `Elendes Eintagsgeschlecht, des Zufalls Kinder und der Mühsal, was zwingst du mich dir zu sagen, was nicht zu hören für dich das Erspriesslichste ist? Das Allerbeste ist für dich gänzlich unerreichbar: nicht geboren zu sein, nicht zu sein, nichts zu sein. Das Zweitbeste aber ist für dich - bald zu sterben. According to the old story, King Midas had long hunted wise Silenus, Dionysus' companion, without catching him. When Silenus had finally fallen into his clutches, the king asked him what was the best and most desirable thing of all for mankind. The daemon stood still, stiff and motionless, until at last, forced by the king, he gave a shrill laugh and spoke these words: 'Miserable, ephemeral race, children of hazard and hardship, why do you force me to say what it would be much more fruitful for you not to hear? The best of all things is something entirely outside your grasp: not to be born, not to be, to be nothing. But the second-best thing for you — is to die soon.