“My enemy said to me, "Love your enemy." And I obeyed him and loved myself.”

Spiritual Sayings of Kahlil Gibran
Paraphrasing of Gibran's quote "My enemy said to me, 'Love your enemy.' And I obeyed him and loved myself."
Variant: And God said, Love your enemy, & I obeyed Him & loved myself.
Source: misattributed on these websites: GaiamLife (blog) http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/kahlil-gibran?page=3 & Quote Corner - Khalil Gibran quotes Part 1 http://quotecorner.com/Khalil-Gibran-quotes.html

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "My enemy said to me, "Love your enemy." And I obeyed him and loved myself." by Khalil Gibran?
Khalil Gibran photo
Khalil Gibran 111
Lebanese artist, poet, and writer 1883–1931

Related quotes

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement

1950s, Loving Your Enemies (November 1957)
Context: Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.

Orson Scott Card photo

“You're the sort of enemy your enemy must love.”

Hart's Hope (1983)

Aurelius Augustinus photo
Alfred, Lord Tennyson photo

“Love your enemy, bless your haters, said the Greatest of the great;
Christian love among the Churches looked the twin of heathen hate.”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) British poet laureate

Source: Locksley Hall Sixty Years After (1886), Line 85

Ammon Hennacy photo

“I love my enemies, but am hell on my friends.”

Ammon Hennacy (1893–1970) American Christian radical

[The Book of Ammon, 1970, Hennacy, 205]

Juliana Hatfield photo

“Impossible to love
Is all that I know how to be
But in my heart
I keep repeating
You didn't mean to hate me I still love my enemy.”

Juliana Hatfield (1967) American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author

"My Enemy"
In Exile Deo (2004)

Benjamin Franklin photo

“Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.”

Poor Richard's Almanack (1756); this has also been quoted in a paraphrased form used by Bill Clinton in [ 1998 address to Beijing University http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/122320.stm, as "Our critics are our friends, they show us our faults".
Poor Richard's Almanack

Sri Chinmoy photo

“I love my enemies for two reasons: they inspire me to recognise my weakness. They also inspire me to perfect my imperfect nature.”

Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007) Indian writer and guru

June 23
Meditations: Food For The Soul (1970)

Leo Tolstoy photo

Related topics