Life Lessons from The Prophet

The Prophet, written by Lebanese-American poet, Kahlil Gibran, is one of the most translated books in history and has never been out of print, almost one hundred years after its initial publication in 1923. It has sold over nine million copies in North America alone.

And it is with good reason. The compact book — which took me all of one hour to read whilst sitting by the beach — is full of easily digestible but profound life lessons that run the gamut of love, work, friendship, reason and emotion, giving, and more.

Interestingly, while the book is short, it took Gibran many years to write it because he chose to wait for particular moments of inspiration, rather than forcing the words. He would later say that “the book wrote me”. This is in contrast with much of the narrative we hear from writing aficionados urging us to sit and write every day, rather than wait around for moments of inspiration. In Gibran’s case, patiently waiting around for inspiration clearly paid off.

Below I’ve listed what I found to be ten of the most profound ideas in the book, and my interpretations of them.

Love knows not its own depths until the hour of separation. That which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence as the mountains to the climber is clear up from the plain.