Saadi (circa 1213 – 1291), also known as Saadi of Shiraz, was a 13th century Persian poet and prose writer. One of the most esteemed writers of the medieval period, his literary masterpieces Bustan and Gulistan remain popular worldwide today. He attended the Nezamiyeh University in Baghdad, studying Islamic sciences, theology, law, history, and Arabic literature. Following the Mongol invasion, he fled Persia and travelled for over twenty years. During that time he lived amongst a varied group of survivors from his war-torn homeland, offering sermons which he continuously worked to perfect by way of direct experience.
Quotes by Saadi…
Obedience ensures greatness, while disobedience leads to defeat.
Take care how you listen to the voice of the flatterer, who, in return for his little stock of words, expects to gain considerable advantages from you. If one day you do not comply with his wishes, he charges you with two hundred defects, instead of perfections.
Liberty is of more value than any gifts, and to receive gifts from men is to lose it. Be assured that men most commonly seek to oblige you only that they may engage you to serve them.
Forgiveness is commendable, but apply not ointment to the wound of an oppressor.
I have often found a small stream at its source, that, when followed along its course, carried away the camel with its load.
The heart is like a musical instrument of many strings, in which all the chords need to be played in harmony.
He who learns the rules of wisdom, without conforming to them in his life, is like a man who labors in his field, but did not sow.