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Meaning
This reads as a warning that human potential cuts both ways. It points to the fact that the same inner drive that helps a person grow can also turn inward and become ruinous, so development is never automatic. It lands in moments when ambition or discipline starts to slide into obsession, or when a small compromise hints at a larger drift.
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Idries Shah
Afghan author, thinker, and teacher, 20th century
Idries Shah, also known as Idris Shah and Indries Shah, was an Afghan author, thinker, and teacher in the Sufi tradition. He wrote in the 20th century and used the pen name Arkon Daraul. He is remembered for work that brought together Sufi teaching, psychology, spirituality, travel writing, and cultural studies. Shah wrote more than three dozen books across those fields, moving between reflective, practical, and exploratory subjects. His work often connects inner life with broader questions of culture and belief, which is why he is read both as a spiritual writer and as an interpreter of ideas and traditions.
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