Quotes from The Forty Rules of Love, by Elif Shafak

 

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"There were more important things than passion and love in marriage, such as understanding, affection, compassion, and that most godlike act a person could perform, forgiveness." - The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

"This world was not known for its justice, was it.How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·      "No matter who we are or where we live, deep inside we all feel incomplete. It’s like we have lost something and need to get it back. Just what that something is, most of us never find out. And of those who do, even fewer manage to go out and look for it."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·      "Most of the problems of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstandings." - The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·       "The quest for Love changes us. There is no seeker among those who search for Love who has not matured on the way. The moment you start looking for Love, you start to change within and without." - The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·   "Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably moving toward perfection." - The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "God deals with each of us separately because humanity is a fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " Love exists within each of us from the moment we are born and waits to be discovered from then on."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " The whole universe is contained within a single human being –you. Everything that you see around, including the things you might not be fond of and even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees. Therefore, do not look for Sheitan outside yourself either. The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinary voice within. If you get to know yourself fully, facing with honesty and hardness both your dark and bright sides, you will arrive at a supreme form of consciousness. When a person knows himself or herself, he or she knows God."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·       "  If you want to change the way others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself. Unless you learn to love yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "The past is a whirlpool. If you let it dominate your present moment, it will suck you in."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "Fret not where the road will take you. Instead concentrate on the first step. That’s the hardest part and that’s what you are responsible for. Once you take that step let everything do what it naturally does and the rest will follow. Do not go with the flow. Be the flow."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " We were all created in His image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No two hearts beat the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others is tantamount to disrespecting God’s holy scheme."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " Hell is in the here and now. So is heaven. Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " Why worry so much about the aftermath, an imaginary future, when this very moment is the only time we can truly and fully experience both the presence and the absence of God in our lives?"- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " Is there a way to grasp what love means without becoming a lover first? Love cannot be explained. It can only be experienced. Love cannot be explained, yet it explains all."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " The universe is one being. Everything and everyone is interconnected through an invisible web of stories. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all in a silent conversation. Do no harm. Practice compassion. And do not gossip behind anyone’s back –not even a seemingly innocent remark! The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time. One man’s pain will hurt us all. One man’s joy will make everyone smile."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " This world is like a snowy mountain that echoes your voice. Whatever you speak, good or evil, will somehow come back to you. Therefore, if there is someone who harbors ill thoughts about you, saying similarly bad things about him will only make matters worse. You will be locked in a vicious circle of malevolent energy. Instead for forty days and nights say and think nice things about that person. Everything will be different at the end of forty days, because you will be different inside."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " The past is an interpretation. The future is an illusion."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·       "  If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather. Through an illness, accident, loss, or fright, one way or another, we all are faced with incidents that teach us how to become less selfish and judgmental, and more compassionate and generous. Yet, some of us learn the lesson and manage to become milder, while some others end up becoming even harsher than before. The only way to get closer to Truth is to expand your heart so that it will encompass all humanity and still have room for more Love."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " I should mind my inner encounter with God rather than judging other people."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " Most of the time he who complains about others is himself at fault."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·       "  Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "There is no such thing as early or late in life. Everything happens at the right time."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·        " God is a meticulous clockmaker. So precise is His order that everything on earth happens in its own time. Neither a minute late nor a minute early. And for everyone without exception, the clock works accurately. For each there is a time to love and a time to die."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

·         "A life without love is of no account."- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak