"The Prophet" Khalil Gibran | On Children

This is an audio extract, done by me, on the chapter "On Children" of the book "The Prophet" Khalil Gibran. The woman asks the prophet to speak about the children. And she gets the wise answer, freeing and insightful.

Transcript

On children and the woman who held the baby against her bosom said speak to us of children and he said your children are not your children they are the sons and daughters of lives longing for itself they come through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you you may give them your love but not your thoughts for they have their own thoughts you may house their bodies but not their souls for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit not even in your dreams you may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you for life goes not backward no terrors with yesterday you are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth the archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite and he bends you with his might that his arrows may go swift and far let your bending in the archer's hand to before gladness for even as he loves the arrow that flies so he loves also the bow that is stable