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Before they (the prophets) came, we were all alike,
No one knew whether he was right or wrong,
Genuine coin and base coin were current alike,
The world was a night and we travellers in the dark,
Till the sun of the prophets arose and cried
‘Begone, O slumber! welcome, O pure light!’
Now the eye sees how to distinguish colours,
It sees the difference between rubies and pebbles.

— Rumi Attributed A Dictionary of Oriental Quotations (1911)

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More quotes by Rumi

Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune:
Every success depends upon focusing the heart.

The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself.

The branch might seem like the fruit's origin:
In fact, the branch exists because of the fruit.

If you wish to shine like day, burn up the night of self-existence. Dissolve in the Being who is everything.

God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Rumi (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.