Kahlil Gibran

1883–1931 · Lebanese-American poet, author of The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) was a Lebanese-American poet, painter and author, best known for The Prophet (1923), a book of poetic essays on love, marriage and freedom that has sold tens of millions of copies. Because Gibran wrote so movingly about loving without possessing, he became a natural magnet for feel-good sayings on the theme — and this anonymous maxim was retro-fitted onto his name. The line does not appear in The Prophet or his other works.

Traced to source

5 quotes we’ve traced to Kahlil Gibran

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”

Verified

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls”

Verified

“And God said, Love your enemy, and I obeyed Him and loved myself”

Disputed

“If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours; if it doesn't, it never was”

Disputed

“Travel and tell no one. Have a true love story and tell no one. Live happily and tell no one. People ruin beautiful things”

Disputed

Not actually Kahlil Gibran

Often misattributed to Kahlil Gibran

Famous lines widely pinned on Kahlil Gibran that we’ve traced to someone else.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”

actually Edwin Hubbell Chapin

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Thought Kahlil Gibran said something else?

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