"Your children are not your children but children is children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
p. 17
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Prophet
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The Prophet
22 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The Prophet →
Related Quotes
"For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning."
"Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from yo…"
"Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself, Love possesses not nor would it be possessed: For love…"
"When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God." And think not you can…"
"Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desire…"
"You were born together, and together you shall be forever more. You shall be together when the white wings of death s…"
"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
"The deeper sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain."
"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentime filled with your…"
"When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him,…"