Quotes by Idries Shah

In a village where everyone has only one leg, the biped will hop about more lamely than anyone else, if he knows what is good for him.

One day we will all wear a garment which has no pockets...

Wisdom is when you understand what, previously, at best you only knew.

SAYING OF SHEIKH ZIAUDIN:Self-justification is worse than the original offence.

It is not Sufism if it does not perform its function for you. A cloak is no longer a cloak if it does not keep a man warm.

If wine is the enemy of religion, I shall devour the enemy of religion.

The function of a nutrient is to become transmuted, not to leave unaltered traces.

Haste is from the Devil.

Fettered feet in the presence of friends is better than living in a garden with strangers.

If you really want to learn, do not be surprised if someone tries to teach you. And do not lightly reject the method.

Most people, whatever their opinions and protestations, do not want to learn.

One of the basic Sufi needs is to enable people to see themselves as they really are.

The Sufi teacher’s mission is to be in the service of those who can learn.

The teacher works in accordance with the prospects of his students and the possibility of maintaining the community of Sufis.

The Sufis regard systems which treat everyone alike as mechanical and degenerate.

The candle burned the moth:But soon it will vanish in its own fat.

Yes, the world is an illusion. But Truth is always being shown there.

If you want special illumination, look upon the human face:See clearly within laughter the Essence of Ultimate Truth.

The question of divine knowledge is so deep that it is really known only to those who have it.

It is your duty to do your best. It is not, however, your birth-right to prevail.