tagore quotes

7/27/2019 Tagore Quotes

1/13

The greed of gain has no time or limit to its capaciousness. Its one aim is to produce andconsume. It has pity neither for beautiful nature nor for living beings. It is ruthlessly readywithout a moments hesitation to crush beauty and life out of them, molding them into

money.

Gross utility kills beauty. We now have all over the world huge production of things, huge

organizations, huge administration of empire all obstructing the path of life. Civilization is

waiting for a great consummation, for an expression of its soul in beauty.

Civilization must be judged and prized, not by the amount of power it has developed, but by

how much it has evolved and given expression to, by its laws and institutions the love of

humanity.

Power said to the world, "You are mine.

The world kept it prisoner on her throne.

Love said to the world, "I am thine."

The world gave it the freedom of her house.

God's great power is in the gentle breeze, not in the storm.

To show power is not an evidence of power.

Power in all it's forms is irrational, - it is like the horse that drags the carriage blindfolded.

Commerce is one of the ugliest things in the modern world. It has deadened the earth by its

crushing weightand deafened it with its loud noise. It has polluted the environment with its

filth and damaged the earth with itsgreed.

Contemporary civilization is based on the exploitation. The minority want to feed on the

majority and expand their wealth. This causes some individuals to prosper but does not help

the majority to live a better life.

The tendency in modern civilization is to make the world uniform... Let the mind be

universal. The individual should not be sacrificed.


2/13

Those who are delighted by taste, grace and beautyare far outnumbered by those whoare impressed by bravado [false show of boldness/bravery to impress/intimidate].

We can understand a man not from what he knows, but from what he enjoys.

Vulgarity can affect the mind easily and forcefully. Those who are weak and do not have

leisure, can be easily and cheaply entertained through vulgarity [Lacking taste, grace and

beauty].

Selfish interest can bring us together, but it cannot unite us.

True culture is about easy access, simplicityand plainness. Elaborate preparations indicate

complexity and barbarism; they are debris of failure.

Simple things are good because their taste does not become old. Their simplicitykeeps

them young forever.

Humor has two main ingredients: Promptness (Timing) and distinctiveness (Uniqueness).

The nature of wealth isgrossly unfairand immoral.

The essence of prosperity or poverty lies not in material resources but in the character of

Human Beings.

Where there is no true hospitality/courtesy, there can be no wealth.

Illness and suffering can make us failures, but pleasure and prosperity make peoplepetty.


3/13

By plucking petals you do not gather the beautyof the flower. What do we call beautiful? Is that which is on the outside may be commonplace, but

when their inner meaning is understood, its beauty is revealed.

Beautyis beyondthe extreme reach of the senses: not only the eyes and ears, beauty can

overwhelm even the heart.

All that is great and sublime in the world is surrounded by space. Its background is

simple. It does not take the help of something else to showcase itself.

The beauty of illusion is to be dressed in spring flowers, but the beauty of freedom is

unadorned.

Beauty is truths smile, when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror.

Beauty is that which contains a unity of ideas which is beyond analysis.

It has not been proved so far that beauty is absolutely necessary for our lives, or that

those civilizations who are more artistic are more powerful and have more vitality in

them.

Lifes errors cry for the merciful beauty that can modulate their isolation into a harmony

with the whole.

When he has the power to see things detached from self-interest and from the insistent

claims of the lust of the senses, and then alone can he have the true vision of the beauty

that is everywhere. Then only can he see that what is unpleasant to us is not necessarily

unbeautiful, but has its beauty in truth.

Beauty is omnipresent; therefore everything is capable of giving us joy.

Where it is a work of beauty it has no question to answer; it has nothing to do, but to be.

It reveals in its form a unity to which all that seems various in it is so related that, in a

mysterious manner, it strikes sympathetic chords to the music of unity in our own being.


4/13

If we cannot be independentby our own zeal and force, no one can give us our freedom.

What is offered as freedom is only bondage in another guise

Freedom is not an external thing, but a thing of the mind. Therefore, we cannot get from

someone else. Until, we get that independence through our inner, natural strength,

external powers will bind us, harness and dominate us.

If you ride on someone elses backand move forward, it is futile, the pointis to learn to

move independently, not to move somehow or the other.

When freedom first proclaims itself, it breaks rules. Afterwards, it creates its own rules andonly then it can be truly brought under control.

When human beings are completely alone, they are completely independent.

We cannot achieve anything great by a begging bowl. We do not get anything valuable

through the mercy of others; we must acquire it by our own strength. It simply cannot be

otherwise..!

Genius is that energy force which has its roots in its own joy of freedom, not in externalrules, compulsions, motivations or temptations.

Thepredominant difference between great and ordinary people is that great people can

live, for the most part, in their inner world where there is freedom, for ordinary people,

that space is difficult to enter or even unknown.

The right to be yourselfis an important right. It has to be earned. It is difficult to get this

right and to maintain it.

Let me light my lamp, says the star, and never debate if it will help remove the

darkness.

True freedom is not freedom from action, but freedom in action, which can only be

attained in the work of love.


5/13

When freedom is not an inner idea which imparts strength to our activities and breadthto our creations, when it is merely a thing of external circumstance, it is like an open

space to one who is blindfolded.

Real freedom is of the mind and spirit; it can never come to us from outside. He only hasfreedom who ideally loves freedom himself and is glad to extend it to others. He who cares

to have slaves must chain himself to them; he who builds walls to create exclusion for

others builds walls across his own freedom; he who distrusts freedom in others loses his

moral right to it.

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,

but to be fearless in facing them.

Let me not beg for the stilling of mypain,

but for the heart to conquerit.

Let me not look for allies in the lifes battlefield,

But owe it to my own strength.

Let me not crave in anxious fearto be saved,

but hope for thepatienceto win my freedom.

Grant me that I may not be a coward, feeling

Your mercy in my success alone; but let me find

thegrasp of Your hand in my failure.


6/13

An ideal that is truly great is not linked to a space or time. It bestows humanityon human

beings. Human beings imbued with these ideals can sustain their excellence under anycircumstances.

I do not put my faith in any institutions, but in individuals all over the world, who think

clearly, feel nobly, and act rightly. They are the channels of moral truth.

In human nature, fearis worse than loneliness, ignorance and foolishness.

We are all Human Beings, if relations between us are not humane, simple andgentle it is odd.

We do not have the brute strength to keep our disbelief/doubt fully alive. We want to forget

and be free of worries; somehow, we want to believe. It is important for Human Beings to

disbelieve/doubt. This may be a positive attribute as well. If we are to protect humanity, we

must keep alive this ability to doubt.

The most important things in Life are those that come without a price tag; we need not even

bargain for them.

The tragedy of human life consists in our vain attempts to stretch the limit of things which

can neverbecome unlimited. To reach the infinite by absurdly adding to the rungs of the

ladder of the finite.

Be not ashamed, my brothers, to stand before the proud and the

powerful with your white robe ofsimpleness.

Let your crown be ofhumility, your freedom the freedom of the soul.

Build God's throne daily upon the ample bareness of your poverty, and know that what is

huge is not greatand pride is not everlasting.

When you came, you cried and everybody smiled with joy; when you go smile and let the

world cry for you.


7/13

We need to remember that suffering is the opposite of pleasure and not of joy . Suffering ispart of Joy. These words may seem paradoxical but they are true.

The measure of suffering is the measure of joy. We understand the sincerity of Love by the

amount of sorrow it carries. Of course there is sorrow, but sorrow exists because above all

there is Joy.

Perhaps, sorrow is an important ingredient in human life. To struggle, to strive, to sacrifice

may be more important than to be happy.

There is no bigger deprivation amongst human beings than lack of sorrow. Human beings

have made much through sorrow. What is not constructed out of sorrow/pain is not

complete.

Pleasure is afraid of loss but joy finds satisfaction in sharing everything; this is why having

nothing is poverty for pleasure, but for joy poverty is wealth.

Flowers have no sorrow; the misery of animals and birds is also limited. However mans

misery is of diverse kinds; it is deep and difficult to express. Within this world, it is difficult to

understand the horizon of human suffering.

Perhaps, sorrow is an important ingredient of human life. To struggle, to strive, to sacrifice

may be more important than to have pleasure.

The world that music/poetry/painting creates for us is very far removed from the reality of

day-to-day life. This distance allows us to see the world ofimagination and ofeternal beauty.

In art man reveals himself, and not his creations.

One who creates, expresses himself in many ways.

Mans cry is to reach his fullest expression.


8/13

Its against the rules to spoil the harmony of art by indulging in excess. There are things like music to remind people that however clear and logical you want to

make everything, there are some inner truths that cannot be articulated, but which are linked

to the expression of our souls. These are the truths that cause so much sorrow and so muchagitation.

In this ancient world, only beautyand things of the heart do not age. That is why the world is

youthful and poets verse is never completely exhausted.

The main function of art is to separate that which ispleasing to us from its own contextwithin

the world andpresent it with unmixed brilliance. It is the work of the artist to filter out that bit

from the uppermost layer of truth and adorn it.

The greatest power within human beings is thepower of creativity.

Whichever route we follow, we will arrive at the conclusion that teaching is imparted by a

teacher and not by a method.

Man can learn only from a man. Just as water tank can be filled only with water and fire can

only be ignited with fire, life can be inspired only with life The mere pill of method insisted

shall bring no salvation.

The teacher who merely repeats bookish knowledge mechanically can never teach anything

and can never inspire, and without proper inspiration independent creative faculties can never

develop.

A teacher can never truly really teach unless he himself is still learning , lamp could not light

another lamp unless it continues to burn with fire itself.

I have realized how easier it is to acquire the manner than the matter. Without an effort had I

assimilated all the impatience, the short temper, the partiality and the injustice displayed by

the teachers to the exclusion of the rest of their teaching. My only consolation is that I had

not the power of venting those barbarities on any living beings.


9/13

Our teachers are often intent on proving their old age; it is often an easy way to show ones

authority.

Those who have been jailors, drill sergeants or exorcists should not take up the responsibilityof helping students develop. They, who areyoung at heart, enjoy learning and can respect the

weak, should be doing the job.

Children need nature in their growing years while they are learning. Trees, clear blue sky, the

breeze, clean water and panoramic views are as important as school benches, books and

examination.

The classrooms were cruelly dismal with their walls on guard like policemen. The house was

more like apigeonholed boxthan a human habitation. No decoration, no pictures, not a touch

of color, not an attempt to attract a boyish heart. The fact that like and dislike form a large

part of the childs mind was completely ignore. Naturally, our whole being was depressed as

we stepped through its doorway into narrow quadrangle.

My whole heart went in rebellion against an arrangement where there was no tinge of color,

no play of life, where the lessons had no context with the surroundings, and where I was

banished from that paradise, to which I was born, where nature dwells full of beauty and

this for no crime but that of being born ignorant.

We have become educated, but we have ceased to be human beings.

The sign of good education is that it does not overwhelm people, but it gives them freedom.

Lack of education is the basis of all the ills in India today. Caste discrimination, religious

conflict, lack of enterprise, economic instabilityall of these stem from ignorance.

Everyone thinks if education is full of hardship, it will be fruitful. However, the way the heart

of a child will blossom throughjoy and the breeze of logic is incomparable.

That students develop distaste for education is not primarily because the subject is difficult

but because the method of instruction is dull.


10/13

Getting education does not depend solely on the educational institution; it dependsprimarily on the student. Many students go to the university and get degrees but they do not

get enough education.

Children when allowed leisure and opportunity to travel, even if they learnt nothing, theyhave ample time for play, climbing trees, diving into the ponds, plucking and tearing flowers,

perpetrating thousand and one mischiefs on mother nature, they would have obtained

nourishment of the body, happiness of mind, and satisfaction of the natural impulses of

childhood.

Ideal education should involve travelling, because the best of all education is to come to

know our fellow beings intimately. What is better for boys than to travel, to collect objects for

theirprivate museums, and thereby to teach themselves.

A boy with that kind of training can enter the world of books fully equipped.

Why should we always expect boys to be exact? Dont guess says the master.

But why not? Guessing [Trial and Error]is one of the natures methods of helping us to learn,

especially when we are young, and teachers try to kill it.

If we do not let people make mistakes, we do not lt them learn something.

For the first 12 years, we must educate the childs mind along the line of its own natural

tendencies and instincts and only then, at 12 years old introduce the books.

Education should be living and dynamic, should be broad based, and organically linked with

the life of the community.

Faculties of an individual to be developed in an educational organization:

Cultivation ofREASONING for the world which belongs to Truth.

Cultivation ofIMAGINATION for the world which belongs to Art.

Cultivation ofKINDNESS/EMPATHYfor the world which belongs to Human

Relationship.


11/13

The emancipation of ourphysical nature is in attaining health, of our social being in attaininggoodness, and our selfin attaining love.

We have to keep in mind the fact that love and action are the only intermediaries through

which perfection can be obtained, for the aim of education is not narrow specialization butwisdom.

Education must be living and dynamic, should be broad based and organically linked to the

life of the community.

We cannot underrate the great influence exercised on the childs mind by the values that

prevail in the society in which he is born and brought up. If these values be perverted, no

sort or amount of formal education can save the child from their disruptive affect. For these

values affect the mind as subtly and surely as the physical climate acts on the body. Good

education of children is not possible unless good ideals govern society. Methods of education

may be modern and scientific, but they will only enslave the mind more effectively, if the

purposes they serve are ignoble. Educators, therefore, must remain more or less helpless in an

age where collective greed is glorified as nationalism and inhuman butchery is made the

measure of heroism.

We cannot get respect through law/legislation.

Disrespecting yourself is the basis of disrespecting others.

School forcibly snatches away children from a world full of the mystery of gods own

handiwork, full of the suggestiveness of personality. It is a mere method of discipline which

refuses to take into account the individual. It is a manufacturing plantspecially designed for

grinding out uniform results. For according to school life is perfect when it allows itself to be

cut into symmetrical conveniences. And, this was the cause of my suffering when I was sent

to school. I was not the creation of schoolmaster; the government board of education was

not consulted when I took birth in the world. But was that any reason why they should wreak

vengeance upon me for this oversight of my creator..?

When we accept discipline for ourselves, we try to avoid everything except that which is

necessary for our purposes; it is this purposefulness, which belongs to the adult mind that we

force upon school children. We say, Never keep your mind alert, attend to what is before

you, what has been given to you. This tortures the child because it contradicts natures

purpose, and nature, the greatest of all teachers, is thwarted at every step by the human


12/13

teacher who believed in machine-made lessons, so that growth of the child is not only

injured, but forcibly spoiled at. Children should be surrounded with things of nature which

have their own educational value. Their minds should be allowed to stumble upon and be

surprised at everything that happens in daily life; the new tomorrow will stimulate their

attention with new facts of life.

I cannot congratulate a society or a nation that calmly excludes play from the curriculum of

the majority of its childrens education and gives instead a vested interest to the teachers in

the market value of pupils labor.

People who have real thirstwill go looking for water everywhere. When they get water they

will drink water from their cupped palms. However, a person who is not really thirstyis only

concerned about the value of the container. So, the water becomes unimportant and there is

squabbling over the container.

Every child is born with a message that god is not yet discouraged of man.

Every person is born with a message of freedom, the freedom to move from darkness to light.

The child ever dwells in the mystery of ageless time, unobscured by the dust of history.

The child is the most ancient creation. Adults have undergone many changes, depending on

their culture, time and education. But children are still the same as they were thousands of

years ago.

Dont limit the child toyour learning, for he was born in another time.

The unfortunate child who gets too many toys, cannot enjoy his playtime.

The child will play with anything, anywhere. Through that we see play in its purest form. The

cost of the toy and excitement generated are superfluousand not connected to childs play.

Thejoy of children is the purest form of joy. They can take trivial incident and turn it into

something important using their imagination. They can breathe life into an ugly ragged doll


13/13

with their own joys and sorrows. One who can retain this power as an adult is said to be

imaginative.

The fledgling bird does not have to graduate to learn to fly. It flies because it gets a chance

to do so and it sees all others of its kind doing the same thing. Therefore, it learns it must fly.

The child learns easily because he has a natural gift, but adults, because they are tyrants,

ignore these gifts and say that children must learn through the same process that they

learned b. We insist upon forced mental feeding and our lessons become a form oftorture.

This is one of mans cruel and wasteful mistakes.

From the solemn gloom of the temple, children run out to sit in the dust. God watches them

play and forgets the priest.

The child wants to throw off its covers and we want to wrap it up with clothes. In fact, this

war is not with the child but with nature. The natural knowledge deeply embedded within a

child cries out in protest.

tagore quotes

Documents