KAHLIL GIBRAN on WORK

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons. –Khalil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran, (Arabic: جبران خليل جبران ) was a Lebanese mystic, poet, dramatist, and artist, moved to the United States in 1901. Born in Bsharri, Lebanon, he emigrated with his family as a young man, studied art, and kicked off his writing career. In the Arab world, Gibran is seen as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style played a big role in the modern Arabic literature movement, especially prose poetry, as he broke away from the traditional classical style. In Lebanon, he’s still celebrated as a literary hero.

Gibran is best known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, a collection of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. Although the book didn’t get great reviews at first, it sold well and grew in popularity during the 1930s and again in the 1960s counterculture. Today, Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, right after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.

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known for his deep and poetic insights, Gibran has inspired countless people with his thoughts on life, love, and purpose.

One of the topics he often explored was work.

For Gibran, work wasn’t just about making money – it was about self-expression, finding meaning, and connecting with something bigger than ourselves.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what Gibran had to say about work, especially in his famous book The Prophet.

Now whether you’re looking for some motivation or just want a fresh take on your daily tasks, his wisdom can help you see work in a whole new light.

KAHLIL GIBRAN on WORK

When you work, you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. To love life through labor is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret. All work is empty save when there is love, for work is love made visible. KAHLIL GIBRAN (1883-1931)

“Work is love made visible” Gibran reminds us, when you do what you love, and love what you do, everything clicks.

Here are a few tips to help you get there:

1. Make a choice to stop focusing on what’s wrong with your daily work. Instead, practice being grateful for the chance to work.
2. Don’t be afraid to make a big change, no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been in your career.
3. When you’re inspired by your work, everything just falls into place. You stop worrying about money, being tired, or feeling hungry. Inspiration seems to bring everything you need exactly when you need it, as if you’re being guided by a higher power.

Gibran’s view on work encourages us to look at it differently, to see not just as something we have to do, but as a meaningful expression of love and purpose.

And so, when we approach our work with gratitude, passion, and inspiration, it becomes more than just a task. It becomes something that helps us grow and connect with something bigger, making work feel less like a chore and more like a way to contribute to the world around us. As Gibran put it, “You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth. For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons.”