"All that spirits desire, spirits attain"
About this Quote
The subtext is less self-help than metaphysics. Gibran suggests a universe with built-in correspondence between inner longing and outer arrival, a kind of moral physics where authentic desire carries its own propulsion. The phrasing matters: not “can attain,” not “might attain,” but “attain” - a present-tense verdict that collapses the messy middle. That omission is doing work. It relieves the reader of cynicism and replaces it with an older, almost devotional confidence: the soul’s aims are self-justifying and self-fulfilling.
Context sharpens the intent. Writing in the early 20th century, as a Lebanese-American poet shaped by displacement, romantic mysticism, and Christian-inflected symbolism, Gibran often tried to reconcile suffering with meaning. This line functions as consolation without sounding like pity. It tells the wounded modern subject: your deepest wants aren’t naive; they’re evidence of what you’re meant to become. It’s hope, but with a spine.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gibran, Kahlil. (2026, January 14). All that spirits desire, spirits attain. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-that-spirits-desire-spirits-attain-32307/
Chicago Style
Gibran, Kahlil. "All that spirits desire, spirits attain." FixQuotes. January 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-that-spirits-desire-spirits-attain-32307/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"All that spirits desire, spirits attain." FixQuotes, 14 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/all-that-spirits-desire-spirits-attain-32307/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







