On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Rumi (born Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) was a 13-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic. One of the most accomplished poets of all time, his musings on life, love, and the mysteries of the universe continue to resonate worldwide.

Here are ten of my favorite Rumi quotes:

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop.

Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.

Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?

Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.

If the light is in your heart, you will find your way home.

There’s a field somewhere beyond all doubt and wrongdoing. I’ll meet you there.

Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.

Anyone who genuinely and consistently with both hands looks for something will find it.

Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.