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Quote by Omar Khayyam

Work

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a compilation of Persian quatrains, or short poems, written by the 11th-century Persian poet. These poems delve into various philosophical and spiritual themes, including the fleeting nature of life, the pursuit of happiness, and the mysteries of the afterlife. The work has been translated into English and has influenced many Western poets and thinkers. more

Author

Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam was a Persian philosopher, mathematician, and poet, renowned for his contributions to algebra and his philosophical works, particularly the 'Quatrains', which have had a profound influence on Western literature and thought. more

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“To live his life in his own way, to call his house his castle, to enjoy the fruits of his own labour, to educate his children as his conscience directs, to save for their prosperity after his death -- these are wishes deeply ingrained in civilised man. Their realization is almost as necessary to our virtues as to our happiness. From their total frustration disastrous results both moral and psychological might follow.”

“I am beginning to realize that "sanity" is no longer a value or an end in itself. The "sanity" of modern man is about as useful to him as the huge bulk and muscles of the dinosaur. If he were a little less sane, a little more doubtful, a little more aware of his absurdities and contradictions, perhaps there might be a possibility of his survival.”

“Rousseau had it backwards. We are NOT born free. We are born in the chains of the random and the reflexive, and are ignorant and unreasonable by simple nature. We must learn to be free, to organize the random and detect the reflexive, to acquire the knowledge of particulars and the powers of reason. The examined life is impossible if we cannot examine, order, classify, define, distinguish, always in minute particulars.”