In India, think art, music, poetry, and literature and the first name to pop up in all our heads is that of the Rabindranath Tagore. His works have inspired countless generations of young artists, his stories have left us all a little dewy eyed and the sheer subtle genius of his poetry has left an impact on the entire world. On the occasion of his 79th death anniversary on August 7, let us celebrate the legendary Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Rabindranath Tagore with some of his best words.
Also known as ‘Rabi’, ‘Gurudev’ and ‘Biswakabi’, Rabindrath Tagore was the youngest of 13 children. He was born in the year 1861 and lost his mother when he was only 14. A combination of his life’s experiences gave us the gift of his immense talent in poetry, prose, song-writing, and art. From mystical romanticism to patriotism, Rabindranath Tagore left no stone unturned in the realm of artistic expression. To such an extent that currently two nations, namely India and Bangladesh use his writing for their national anthems.
Here are some quotes by the maestro to remind you of the wonders of his work.
“I have spent a fortune traveling to distant shores and looked at lofty mountains and boundless oceans, and yet I haven’t found time to take a few steps from my house to look at a single dew drop on a single blade of grass.”
“The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure.
The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.”
“We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.”
“Love is an endless mystery, because there is no reasonable cause that could explain it.”
“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
“In art, man reveals himself and not his objects.”
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.”
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
“A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.”
“Most people believe the mind to be a mirror, more or less accurately reflecting the world outside them, not realizing on the contrary that the mind is itself the principal element of creation.”
