The Prophet – Kahlil Gibran

Brief Description of the Book

The Prophet is a collection of poetic discourses delivered by a wise figure, Almustafa, on themes such as justice, freedom, work, love, law, leadership, giving, and pain. Though literary in form, the book is deeply philosophical and ethical. Its language is simple, universal, and humanistic, making it especially suitable for Essay papers and GS-4 Ethics answers, where value articulation matters more than technical detail.

The following extracts may be used in OPSC answer writing:

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” → Essay / GS-4: Growth through suffering, ethical learning from crises, resilience in public life

“Work is love made visible.” → GS-4 Ethics: Work ethic, dignity of labour, public service motivation

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” → GS-4 Ethics: Altruism, empathy, citizen-centric administration

“Justice is love in action.” → GS-4 / GS-2: Ethical foundations of justice, humane law enforcement, constitutional morality

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” → Essay / GS-2: Reform, governance innovation, developmental vision

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness.” → Essay / GS-4: Tolerance, pluralism, respect for diversity, democratic coexistence

“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” → Essay: Ethical dilemmas, uncertainty in decision-making, moral courage

“For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?” → GS-4 Ethics: Compassionate view of crime, reformative justice, social causes of deviance

“The appearance of things changes according to the emotions.” → GS-4: Attitude, perception bias, emotional intelligence

“When you work, you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.” → Essay: Meaningful work, purpose-driven life, dignity in duty