Whatever is in the world is not outside you.
Whatever you want, seek it in yourself; it is you.
بیرون ز تو نیست هرچه در عالم هست
در خود بطلب هر آنچ خواهی که تویBîrûn zi tû nîst her çi der âlem hest
Der hod beteleb her ançi hâhî ki tûî
Rumi, Fihi Ma Fihi, discourse 15; also Divan-i Kabir, Quatrain 1759 (13th century).
People leave what they seek outside.
In a city, in a face, in a title.
And when they find it, they are not at ease.
Because they expect something from it too.
This couplet does not forbid seeking.
It only changes the direction.
The world has not run off to one side.
It has a counterpart within a person.
The last two words are the hardest:
It is you.