“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion. Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave and eats a bread it does not harvest. Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful. Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening. Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block. Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again. Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle. Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.”

Share & Save

Meaning

Not documented yet.

When It Was Said

Not documented yet.

Who It Was Said To

Not documented yet.

Historical Context

Not documented yet.

Source

Not documented yet.

Original Language & Translation

Originally said in English.

Did They Really Say It?

Not documented yet.

Did You Know?

Not documented yet.

About Kahlil Gibran

Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist. Active in the early 20th century, he is best known for The Prophet, a book first published in the United States in 1923. He was also regarded by many as a philosopher, though he did not accept that label himself. The Prophet became one of the best-selling books of all time and was translated into more than 100 languages, helping make his work widely known far beyond its original publication.

More from Kahlil Gibran (159 quotes) →

READ THE SOURCE

Books by Kahlil Gibran

The Prophet

Short prose poems, and one of the most quoted books of the last century.

VIEW ON AMAZON