Weep and then smile. Don’t pretend to know something you haven’t experienced.
Jalālad-Dīn Rumi, 13 Century Persian poet
“Rumi is so familiar these days, wonderfully so. I love this quote from one of his poems because of the sheer authenticity of it. It gives us permission and encourages us that who we are is more than enough. I don’t have to pretend to be anything, not good, not even if we’re together and you’re struggling with something and I’m trying to be there for you and it leads me into feeling emotionally challenged. I don’t have to pretend. I can say, ‘I’m with you and this is upsetting me too.’ And then we actually can go there together.”
Mark Nepo, Philosopher, poet, author of
The Book of Soul: 52 Paths to Living What Matters
