Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī, known by his pen name Hafez and as “Hafiz”, was a Persian poet who “lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy”. Profoundly inspirational Hafez quotes will challenge the way you think, and make your life worth living.
Famous Hafez Quotes
What do sad people have in common? It seems they have all built a shrine to the past and often go there and do a strange wail and worship. What is the beginning of Happiness? It is to stop being so religious like that. — Hafez
People say that the soul, on hearing the song of creation, entered the body, but in reality the soul itself was the song. — Hafez
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being! — Hafez
For I have learned that every heart will get
What it prays for
Most. — Hafez
Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive. — Hafez
I once asked a bird, how is it that you fly in this gravity of darkness? She responded, ‘love lifts me.’ — Hafez
God disguised as myriad things, and playing a game of tag has kissed you and said, You’re it. I mean you’re really it. Now it does not matter what you believe or feel. For something wonderful, something major-league wonderful, is someday going to happen. — Hafez
The heart is a thousand stringed instrument that can only be tuned with love. — Hafez
On the holy boughs of the Celestial Tree High up in the heavenly fields, Beyond terrestrial desire My soul-bird a warm nest has built. — Hafez
Be kind to your sleeping heart. Take it out into the vast fields of light…And let it breathe. — Hafez
What we speak becomes the house we live in. — Hafez
Art is the conversation between lovers. Art offers an opening for the heart. True art makes the divine silence in the soul Break into applause. ― Hafez
Only a Perfect One who is always laughing at the word two can make you know of Love. — Hafez
Your love Should never be offered to the mouth of a Stranger, Only to someone Who has the valor and daring To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife Then weave them into a blanket To protect you. — Hafez
I rarely let the word NO escape from my mouth, because it is so plain to my soul that God has shouted, Yes! Yes! Yes! To every luminous movement in existence. — Hafez
I do not feel like writing verses; but as I light my perfume burner with myrrh and jasmine incense, they suddenly burgeon from my heart, like flowers in a garden. — Hafez
Come Dance with Me , come dance. — Hafez
The lips of the one I love are my perpetual pleasure. — Hafez
This sky where we live is no place to lose your wings so love, love, love. — Hafez
There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness. — Hafez
‘Tis writ on Paradise’s gate, Woe to the dupe that yields to fate! — Hafez
Remember for just one minute of the day, it would be best to try looking upon yourself more as God does, for She knows your true royal nature. — Hafez
Love is simply creation’s greatest joy. — Hafez
I have learned so much from God that I can no longer call myself a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew. The Truth has shared so much of Itself with me that I can no longer call myself a man, a woman, an angel, or even a pure Soul. Love has befriended me so completely it has turned to ash and freed me of every concept and image my mind has ever known. — Hafez
Short Hafez Quotes
Greatness is always built on this foundation: the ability to appear, speak and act, as the most common man. — Hafez
Light will someday split you open — Hafez
He was so slim, his heart was visible ― Hafez
The world is a bride of surpassing beauty-but remember that this maiden is never bound to anyone. — Hafez
Run my dear, from anything that may not strengthen your precious budding wings. Run like hell my dear, from anyone likely to put a sharp knife into the sacred, tender vision of your beautiful heart. — Hafez
The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.- Robert Frost Now that all your worry has proved such an unattractive business – why not find a better job? — Hafez
What is this precious love and laughter budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound of a soul waking up! — Hafez
When you can make others laugh with jokes that belittle no one and your words always unite, Hafiz will vote for you to be God. — Hafez
Now that your worry has proved such an unlucrative business,
Why not find a better job? ― Hafez
The world is like an eye, a beard, a spot of beauty and eyebrow, Where each thing is neatly in place. — Hafez
Come, for the House of Hope is built on sand: bring wine, for the fabric of life is as weak as the wind. — Hafez
Laugh because that is the purest sound. — Hafez
You yourself are your own obstacle, rise above yourself. — Hafez
Every desire of your body is holy; Every desire of your body is Holy. — Hafez
Think of suffering as being washed. — Hafez
This place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you. — Hafez
Happiness is right in front of you. — Hafez
Words have no language which can utter the secrets of love; and beyond the limits of expression is the expounding of desire. — Hafez
Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends. — Hafez
With wine beside a gently flowing brook – this is the best; Withdrawn from sorrow in some quiet nook – this is the best ― Hafez
You have actually waltzed with tremendous style, my sweet, O my sweet, crushed angel. — Hafez
How seek the way which leadeth to our wishes? By renouncing our wishes. The crown of excellence is renunciation. — Hafez
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions. — Hafez
True art awakens the Extraordinary Ovation — Hafez
O thou who are trying to learn the marvel of Love through the copybook of reason, I am very much afraid you will never see the point. ― Hafez
All your wounds from craving love Exist because of heroic deeds. — Hafez
If, like the prophet Noah, you have patience in the distress of the flood, Calamity turns aside, and the desire of a thousand years comes forth. — Hafez
We don’t need sugar, flour or rice or anything else. We just want to see our dear ones. — Hafez
The only friends who are free from cares are the goblet of wine and a book. Give me wine…that I may for a time forget the cares of the world. — Hafez
Fear not to follow with pious feet the corpse of Hafiz, for though he was drowned in the ocean of sin, he may find a place in paradise. ― hafez
Dear Ones, Beware of the tiny gods frightened men Create To bring anesthetic relief to their sad days — Hafez
Woe to the dupe that yields to Fate! — Hafez
I wish I could show you…the astonishing light of your own being. — Hafez
It is written on the gate of heaven: Nothing in existence is more powerful than destiny. And destiny brought you here, to this page, which is part of your ticket-as all things are-to return to God. — Hafez
Grieve not; though the journey of life be bitter, and the end unseen, there is no road which does not lead to an end. — Hafez
The beauty of You delights me. The sight of You amazes me. For the Pearl does this… and the Ocean does that. — Hafez
I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through. Listen to this music. — Hafez
What Happens What happens when your soul Begins to awaken Your eyes And your heart And the cells of your body To the great Journey of Love? First there is wonderful laughter And probably precious tears And a hundred sweet promises And those heroic vows No one can ever keep. But still God is delighted and amused You once tried to be a saint. What happens when your soul Begins to awake in this world To our deep need to love And serve the Friend? O the Beloved Will send you One of His wonderful, wild companions – Like Hafiz. — Hafez
Do not surrender your grief so quickly Let it cut more deeply Let it ferment and season you As few human or divine ingredients can Something is missing in my heart tonight That has made my eyes so soft And my voice so tender And my need of God so absolutely clear. — Hafez
I have a thousand brilliant lies For the question: How are you? I have a thousand brilliant lies For the question: What is God? If you think that the Truth can be known From words, If you think that the Sun and the Ocean Can pass through that tiny opening Called the mouth, O someone should start laughing! Someone should start wildly Laughing Now! — Hafez
For a day, just for one day, talk about that which disturbs no one and bring some peace into those beautiful eyes. — Hafez
It is not easy to stop thinking ill of others.Usually one must enter into a friendship with a person who has accomplished that great feat himself.Then something might start to rub off on you of that true elegance. — Hafez
A poet is someone Who can pour Light into a spoon, Then raise it To nourish Your beautiful parched, holy mouth. — Hafez
Plant a Seed so your Heart will Grow. — Hafez
The Earth would die If the sun stopped kissing her. — Hafez
There was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.” “Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth “You owe me” Look what happens with a love like that, It lights the whole sky..” — Hafez
There is A madman inside of you Who is always running for office — Hafez
The Truth has shared so much of Itself with me That I can no longer call myself A man, a woman, an angel, Or even pure Soul. — Hafez
Everyone Is God speaking. Why not be polite and Listen to Him? — Hafez
Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred… Now is the time for you to deeply compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace. — Hafez
How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of Light against its being; otherwise we all remain too frightened. — Hafez
When all your desires are distilled; You will cast just two votes: To love more, And be happy. — Hafez
There is an ambush everywhere from the army of accidents; therefore the rider of life runs with loosened reins. — Hafez
