Rumi, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, was a 13th-century Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi mystic. His poetry and teachings have inspired millions of people around the world and continue to do so even today. Rumi’s works often touch on the topic of happiness and what it truly means to live a happy life. Recently, I visited the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto to see Its current Rumi Installation that runs till October 1, 2023. Rumi’s legacy is timeless and there is much to learn from the man no matter what your faith beliefs are. Here are 30 of Rumi’s most insightful quotes on happiness:
- “Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.”
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
- “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?”
- “The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”
- “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
- “Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”
- “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
- “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
- “Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?”
- “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
- “Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”
- “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
- “I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within.”
- “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
- “The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.”
- “Whatever you seek, you are already that.”
- “Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.”
- “The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand.”
- “Love is the bridge between you and everything.”
- “The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.”
- “Travel brings power and love back into your life.”
- “What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.”
- “The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.”
- “The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.”
- “In your light, I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.”
- “Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.”
- “If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?”
- “If you want the moon, do not hide from the night. If you want a rose, do not run from the thorns.”
- “The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen.”
- “We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.”
Rumi’s poetry and teachings can be a great source of inspiration and guidance when it comes to finding true happiness in life. What is your favourite Rumi Quote