Brief and witty, Sand and Foam (1926) is a lesser-known but captivating collection of quips and aphorisms from the works of Kahlil Gibran. Here are 25 aphorisms that uncover the underlying truths of life.

  • On Seeking Beauty

    • We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.
       

  • On Poetry

    • Poetry is not an opinion expressed. It is a song that rises from a bleeding wound or a smiling mouth.
       

    • Words are timeless. You should utter them or write them with a knowledge of their timelessness.
      Inspiration will always sing; inspiration will never explain.
       

    • A great singer is he who sings our silences.
       

  • On Giving

    • It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;
      And to the open-handed the search or one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.
       

    • If it were not for guests, all houses would be graves.
       

  • On Work and the Value of Passion

    • They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold;
      And I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.
       

    • The most pitiful among men is he who turns his dreams into silver and gold.
       

    • I admire the man who reveals his mind to me; I honor him who unveils his dreams.
      But why am I shy, and even a little ashamed before him who serves me?

 

  • On the Importance of Independent Investigation of Truth

    • Should you really open your eyes and see, you would behold your image in all images.
      And should you open your ears and listen, you would hear your own voice in all voices.
       

    • Had I filled myself with all that you know what room should I have for all that you do not know?
       

    • Once I said to a poet, "We shall not know your worth until you die."
      And he answered saying, "Yes, death is always the revealer.  And if indeed you would know my worth it is that I have more in my heart than upon my tongue, and more in my desire than in my hand."
       

    • You see but your shadow when you turn your back to the sun.
       

  • On Friendship

    • Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
       

    • The truly good is he who is one with all those who are deemed bad.

 

  • On The Wisdom Behind Struggle

    • How shall my heart be unsealed unless it be broken?
       

    • Only great sorrow or great joy can reveal your truth.
      If you would be revealed you must either dance naked in the sun, or carry your cross.
       

    • Strife in nature is but disorder longing for order.
       

    • Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-ful to seek other than itself.
       

  • On the Complexities of the Human Condition

    • A great singer is he who sings our silences. 

       

    • If your heart is a volcano how shall you expect flowers to bloom in your hands?

       

    • How can you sing if your mouth be filled with food?
      How shall your hand be raised in blessing if it is filled with gold?

       

    • I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.
The Dawn