Kahlil Gibran

Khalil Gibran artist, poet, writer, philosopher. He was born in today's Lebanon and spent much of his productive life in the United States.

Much of Gibran's writings deal with Christianity, mostly condemning the corrupt practices of the Eastern churches and their clergies during that era. His poetry is notable for its use of formal language, as well as insights on topics of life using spiritual terms.

One of his most notable lines of poetry in the English speaking world is from 'Sand and Foam' , which reads : 'Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it so that the other half may reach you'. This was taken by John Lennon into the song Julia from The Beatles.

Gibran died in New York City on April 10, 1931: the cause was determined to be cirrhosis of the liver and tubercolosis. Before his death, Gibran expressed the wish that he be buried in Lebanon. This wish was fulfilled in 1932, when Mary Haskell and his sister Mariana purchased the Mar Sarkis Monastery in Lebanon.
Kahlil Gibran remains the most popular Lebanese-American writer ever.

Kahlil Gibran Memorial in Washington, DC

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I have learned silence from the talkative,
toleration from the intolerant,
and kindness from the unkind;
yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.

-Kahlil Gibran