He whose intellect overcomes his desire is higher than the angels; he whose desire overcomes his intellect is less than an animal.
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As quoted in The Rumi Collection : An Anthology of Translations of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (2000) by Kabir HelminskiJalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi
» Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi - all quotes »
Allah, the Exalted, gave the angels intellect without desires, He gave the animals desires without intellect, and He gave both to the sons of Adam. So a man whose intellect prevails over his desires is better than the angels, whilst a man whose desire prevails over his intellect is worse than the animals.
Ali ibn Abi Talib
There are then two kinds of intellect: the one able to penetrate acutely and deeply into the conclusions of given premises, and this is the precise intellect; the other able to comprehend a great number of premises without confusing them, and this is the mathematical intellect. The one has force and exactness, the other comprehension. Now the one quality can exist without the other; the intellect can be strong and narrow, and can also be comprehensive and weak. 2
Blaise Pascal
If all things in this universe exist, it is because they participate in the Being of God, if there are some things with life, it is because they are reflections of the life of God; if there are beings endowed with intellect and will — like men and angels — it's because they are a participation of the Sovereign Intellect which is God.
Fulton J. Sheen
The truth of practical intellect is understood not as conformity to an extramental being but as conformity to a right desire; the end is no longer to know what is, but to bring into existence that which is not yet.
Jacques Maritain
The desire of love, Joy:
The desire of life, Peace:
The desire of the soul, Heaven:
The desire of God ... a flame-white secret forever.Fiona MacLeod
Rumi, Jalal al-Din Muhammad
Rumsfeld, Donald
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