30 Powerful Quotes From ‘The Forty Rules Of Love’ That Could Potentially Transform Your Life

“Where there is love, there is bound to be heartache.”

By

The Forty Rules of Love is a book written by the Turkish female author Elif Shafak. Her book is inspired by Rumi’s message of love and his companionship with his spiritual master Shams of Tabriz. It’s a book that encourages you to transform your life and fill it with love.

Unsplash freddie marriage
Unsplash freddie marriage

1. “Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven’t loved enough.”

2. “Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful!”

3. “Where there is love, there is bound to be heartache.”

4. “The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time.”

5. “Do not go with the flow. Be the flow.”

6. “What we need is sincere self-examination. Not being on the watch for the fault of others.”

7. “Some people make the mistake of confusing ‘submission’ with ‘weakness,’ whereas it is anything but. Submission is a form of peaceful acceptance of the terms of the universe, including the things we are currently unable to change or comprehend.”

8. “You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly His abode is, there is only one place to look for Him: in the heart of a true lover.”

9. “I hunt everywhere for a life worth living and a knowledge worth knowing. Having roots nowhere, I have everywhere to go.”

10. “Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come”

11. “Finally I understood that whenever people heard something unusual, they called it a dream

12. “Fret not where the road will take you. Instead concentrate on the first step. That’s the hardest part and that’s what you are responsible for.” 

13. “No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within.”

14. “His honesty offended others, but he liked to provoke people to see what came out of them in moments of anger.”

15. “Let us choose one another as companions!
Let us sit at each other’s feet!
Inwardly we have many harmonies – think not
That we are only what we see.”

16. “Be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses”

17. “Don’t ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of love, language as we know it becomes obsolete. That which cannot be put into words can only be grasped through silence.”

18. “Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely.”

19. “The quest for Love changes us. There is no seeker among those who search for Love who has not matured on the way. The moment you start looking for Love, you start to change within and without.”

20. “Just as clay needs to go through intense heat to become strong, Love can only be perfected in pain.”

21. “Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well you play is entirely in your hands.”

22. “A life without love is of no account… Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire. The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”

23. “At every moment and with each new breath, one should be renewed and renewed again. There is only one-way to be born into a new life: to die before death.”

24. “I slept peacefully that night, feeling exultant and determined. Little did I know that I was making the most common and the most painful mistake women have made all throughout the ages: to naively think that with their love they can change the man they love.”

25. The real challenge is to love the good and the bad together, not because you need to take the rough with the smooth but because you need to go beyond such descriptions and accept love in its entirety.”

26. “ Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy, or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell.”

27. “The way to a man’s heart can sometimes take a woman far away from herself, my dear.”

28. “Neither a drop of kindness nor a speck of evil will remain unreciprocated.”

29. “You can purify your body through fasting and abstinence, but only love will purify your heart.”

30. “If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather.” Thought Catalog Logo Mark


About the author

Rania Naim

Writing makes me feel alive. Words heal me.

The only Thought Catalog Books sale of the year is finally live…

Wherever this season finds you—celebrating, reflecting, or simply slowing down—we hope our books help you embrace each moment and carry a little hope and healing into the new year.

Use BLACKFRIDAY24 at checkout for 15% off our entire catalog of books and other creative goods.