“ Man thinks many things. He thinks he is One. He is usually several. Until he becomes One, he cannot have a fair idea of what he is at all. Idries Shah
“ Is your division of Understanding into Greater and Lesser common to all Sufis? Nothing which is put into words is common to all Sufis. Idries Shah
“ Why did I do such-and-such a thing?' is all very well. But what about 'How otherwise could I have done it?'. Idries Shah
“ The teaching must, of course, work with the best part of the individual, must be directed to his or her real capacity. Idries Shah
“ Definitions from Mulla Do-PiazaFlattery:One of the most promising of businesses: always brisk. Idries Shah
“ Sufis (the name for the realised individual, not the learner or follower) are reunited with objective Reality and Unity. Idries Shah
“ Religion, for instance, cannot be accepted or rejected out of hand, until the student knows exactly what religion means. Idries Shah
“ Three ThingsThree things cannot be retrieved:The arrow once sped from the bowThe word spoken in hasteThe missed opportunity.(Ali the Lion, Caliph of Islam, son-in-law of Mohammed the Prophet), Idries Shah
“ Reflection is the lamp of the heart. If it departs, the heart will have no light. ʻAbd Allāh ibn ʻAlawī al-Ḥaddād
“ He knows all my thoughts. He knows all I’ve ever done and He loves me all the same. What is our purpose, you ask. It is to love like God. Kamand Kojouri
“ Man (and woman) has an infinite capacity for self-development. Equally, he has an infinite capacity for self-destruction. A human being may be clinically alive and yet, despite all appearances, spirit… Idries Shah
