“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potters oven?And is not the lute that soothes your spirits the very wood that was hollowed with knives?”

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.