Hafez

Persian poet

Medieval influential 70 sayings

Sayings by Hafez

If you want to know God, look into the eyes of a lover.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 3
Controversial Unverifiable

The path to God is not through the mosque or the temple, but through the heart.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 206
Controversial Unverifiable

The wise man knows that pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 255
Controversial Unverifiable

Do not judge a book by its cover, nor a man by his outward appearance.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 121
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a dream, and we are but dreamers.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 486
Controversial Unverifiable

Life is a fleeting moment; seize the day!

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 16
Controversial Unverifiable

The wise man does not fear death, for it is but a journey to the beloved.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 337
Controversial Unverifiable

The secret of life is to love and be loved.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 4
Controversial Unverifiable

Do not despair, for hope is the lamp of the heart.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 381
Controversial Unverifiable

The nightingale sings of love, and the rose blooms in beauty.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 28
Controversial Unverifiable

The wine is the blood of the grape, and the beloved is the soul of the world.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 14
Controversial Unverifiable

The path to God is narrow, but the gate of love is wide.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 65
Controversial Unverifiable

Do not seek happiness in worldly possessions, for they are fleeting.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 218
Controversial Unverifiable

The wise man knows that silence is golden, and speech is silver.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 396
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a stage, and we are all actors.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 100
Controversial Unverifiable

Do not be afraid of change, for it is the law of life.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 277
Controversial Unverifiable

The beauty of the beloved is a mirror of God's beauty.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 7
Controversial Unverifiable

The heart is a temple, and love is its deity.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 1
Controversial Unverifiable

The wise man knows that he knows nothing.

c. 1380 — Divan of Hafez, Ghazal 495
Controversial Unverifiable

I can't trust those who sneer at us drinking down to the lees: That is the kind of thing which gets a bad name for religion.

c. 1325-1390 AD (original composition) — From a ghazal, as translated by Peter Avery
Humorous Unverifiable