Idries Shah Men Quotations

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, spiritually dead.

The stupidest man I ever met had a favourite saying. It was: 'What do you think I am, stupid, or something?

The impatient man is his own enemy; he slams the door on his own progress.

Effort makes some great men famous. Even greater effort enables other great men to remain unknown.

MAN: Kick him-he'll forgive you. Flatter him-he may or may not see through you. But ignore him and he'll hate you

It is the message, not the man, which is important to the Sufis.

The more wakeful a man is to the things which surround him, the more asleep is he, and his waking is worse than his sleep.

If a pot can multiply. One day Nasrudin lent his cooking pots to a neighbour, who was giving a feast. The neighbour returned them, together with one extra one – a very tiny pot. 'What is this?' asked Nasrudin. 'According to law, I have given you the offspring of your property which was born when the pots were in my care,' said the joker. Shortly afterwards Nasrudin borrowed his neighbour's pots, but did not return them. The man came round to get them back. 'Alas!' said Nasrudin, 'they are dead. We have established, have we not, that pots are mortal?'.

A man who believes the word of a donkey in preference to my word does not deserve to be lent anything.

People who speak or act in an ordinary fashion are most likely to be those who have been the recipients of higher experiences. But because they do not rage around, wild-eyed, people think that they are very ordinary folk and therefore not aware of anything unknown to the general run of man.

When the Higher Man does something worthy of admiration, it is an evidence of his Mastership, not the object of it.

If you want to make an ordinary man happy, or think that he is happy, give him money, power, flattery, gifts, honours. If you want to make a wise man happy - improve yourself!