Hassan Kassim

“In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory. In the long run, painful losses may prove much more valuable than wins—those who are armed with a healthy attitude and are able to draw wisdom from every experience, “good” or “bad,” are the ones who make it down the road. They are also the ones who are happier along the way. Of course the real challenge is to stay in range of this long-term perspective when you are under fire and hurting in the middle of the war. This, maybe our biggest hurdle, is at the core of the art of learning.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance

“So you mustn’t be frightened, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and over everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, any depression, since after all you don’t know what work these conditions are doing inside you? Why do you want to persecute yourself with the question of where all this is coming from and where it is going? Since you know, after all, that you are in the midst of transitions and you wished for nothing so much as to change. If there is anything unhealthy in your reactions, just bear in mind that sickness is the means by which an organism frees itself from what is alien; so one must simply help it to be sick, to have its whole sickness and to break out with it, since that is the way it gets better.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

“*دع الأيام تفعل ما تشاء
وطب نفسا إذا حكم القضاء*

*ولا تجزع لحادثة الليالي
فما لحوادث الدنيا بقاء*

*وكن رجلا على الأهوال جلدا
وشيمتك السماحة والوفاء*

*وإن كثرت عيوبك في البرايا
وسرك أن يكون لها غطاء*

*تستر بالسخاء فكل عيب
يغطيه كماقيل السخاء*

*ولاترِللأعادي قط ذلا
فإن شماتة الأعدا بلاء*

*ولا ترج السماحة من بخيل
فما في النارللظمآن ماء*

*ورزقك ليس ينقصه التأني
وليس يزيد في الرزق العناء*

*ولاحزن يدوم ولا سرور
ولابؤس عليك ولا رخاء*

*إذا ما كنت ذا قلب قنوع
فأنت ومالك الدنيا سواء*

*ومن نزلت بساحته المنايا
فلا أرض تقيه ولاسماء*

*وأرض الله واسعة ولكن
إذا نزل القضا ضاق الفضاء*

*دع الأيام تغدر كل حين
فما يغني عن الموت الدواء*”
― محمد بن إدريس الشافعي

“صغيرٌ يطلبُ الكِبرا .. وشيخٌ ود لو صَغُرا
وخالٍ يشتهي عملا ً.. وذو عملٍ به ضَجِرا
ورب المال في تعب .. وفي تعب من افتقرا
وذو الأولاد مهمومٌ .. وطالبهم قد انفطرا
ومن فقد الجمال شكي .. وقد يشكو الذي بُهِرا
ويشقى المرء منهزما .. ولا يرتاح منتصرا
ويبغى المجد في لهفٍ .. فإن يظفر به فترا
شُكاةٌ مالها حَكَمٌ .. سوى الخصمين إن حضرا
فهل حاروا مع الأقدار .. أم هم حيروا القدرا ؟”
― عباس محمود العقاد