Rabindranath Tagore was a prominent Indian poet, writer, musician, and philosopher. He was born in Kolkata, India in 1861 into a prominent Bengali family, and he is often referred to as “Gurudev” or “Bard of Bengal.” You can read more of his bio below.
Rabindranath Tagore Quotes
“Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.”
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”
“Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.”
“The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.”
“I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.”
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
“A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.”
“Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.”
“Love’s gift cannot be given, it waits to be accepted.”
“It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.”
“I am restless. I am athirst for faraway things. My soul goes out in a longing to touch the skirt of the dim distance. O Great Beyond, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that I have no wings to fly, that I am bound in this spot evermore.”
“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”
“Your idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God’s dust is greater than your idol.”
“Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.”
“Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.”
“By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.”
“Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand with a grip that kills it.”
“Emancipation from the bondage of the soil is no freedom for the tree.”
“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”
“Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.”
“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
“The burden of the self is lightened with I laugh at myself.”
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
“We gain freedom when we have paid the full price.”
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.
“The smile that flickers on baby’s lips when he sleeps”
“We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.”
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
“Children are living beings – more living than grown-up people who have built shells of habit around themselves. Therefore it is absolutely necessary for their mental health and development that they should not have mere schools for their lessons, but a world whose guiding spirit is personal love.”
“The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence.”
“What is Art? It is the response of man’s creative soul to the call of the Real.”
“Beauty is truth’s smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror.”
“I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life, in age after age forever.”
Rabindranath Tagore Biography
Tagore is most famous for his literary works, including his poetry, short stories, and novels, which are known for their lyrical quality and spiritual depth. Some of his most famous works include “Gitanjali,” “The Home and the World,” and “The Gardener.” He was also a talented musician and composed over 2,000 songs, which are still popular in India and Bangladesh today.
Tagore was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, for his collection of poems “Gitanjali.” He was also a vocal critic of British colonial rule in India and used his writing and music to promote Indian independence and cultural nationalism.
In addition to his literary and musical achievements, Tagore was a social and political reformer. He founded the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, India, which aimed to blend Indian and Western education and promote a more holistic approach to learning.
Tagore’s contributions to Indian literature, music, and culture have had a lasting impact on the world. His legacy continues to inspire and influence artists and thinkers around the globe.
