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8 Rumi Quotes That Will Inspire You to Become Your Best Self
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, known as Rumi, wrote in 13th-century Persia. His work, though, remains more relevant than ever today. Rumi’s musings cut across cultural and religious lines, in an effort to unite humanity in the universal pursuit of meaning and spiritual contentment.
Many of those insights have practical implications that can help you step into the best version of yourself, if you so choose. Here are a few.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
What it means:
It’s tempting to convince yourself that you need to change the world. That everything rests on your shoulders. Wanting to improve things is admirable, but putting yourself under undue pressure when there’s only so much one individual can achieve is toxic.
Instead of wanting to change the outside world — the circumstances, events and people around us, and how they choose to behave — Rumi focused on cultivating his inner world.
That meant developing the qualities of a decent person, such as:
- Showing kindness and compassion towards others
- Developing fortitude in the face of hardships
- Not wanting to force a way of thinking onto others but showing empathy towards them
Trying to change others and their ways is a helpless pursuit. It causes frustration. So is going out and wanting to transform the world off your own back. But working on your inner qualities can create change for the better, and is something you can control.
How you can apply it:
Instead of putting a heavy burden on yourself, realize that what happens in the world largely lies outside of your control.
Focusing on what you do control — your emotions, thoughts and reactions to the events around you — is how you’ll get a chance to make a difference in the long run. Wanting…
