The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi

Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough.

It's as if for years on еnd you compile a personal dictionary. In it you give your definition of every concept that matters to you, such as "truth", "happiness", "beauty". At every major turning point in life, you refer to this dictionary, hardy ever feeling the need to question its premises. Then one day a stranger comes and snatches your precious dictionary and throws it away.

"All your definitions need to be redefined", he says, "It's time for you to unlearn everything you know".

And you, for some reason unbeknowst to your mind but obvious to your heart, instead of raising objections or getting cross with him, gladly comply.