"Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love; love recompenses the adorers"
About this Quote
The intent is aspirational and corrective. In an early 20th-century context where modernity is scrambling old authorities, Gibran borrows the authority of the sacred to dignify intimate life. Calling the body a temple to comeliness is not just vanity dressed up; its a demand that physical existence be treated as worthy, tended, and respected. Comeliness here reads as radiance, not mere prettiness - an ethic of presence.
The subtext gets thornier in the final clause: love recompenses the adorers. That word, adorers, tips the balance from mutuality to devotion. Gibran is selling a spiritual economy: invest in beauty and self-offering, and you will be rewarded. Its seductive because it gives readers agency over longing - you can prepare yourself for love like a ritual. It also risks implying that love is a prize for the suitably pure or aesthetically refined.
Still, the line works because it collapses the divide between desire and virtue. It flatters the reader into belief: your body can be consecrated, your tenderness can be meaningful, and your wanting doesnt have to be small.
Quote Details
| Topic | Love |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gibran, Kahlil. (2026, January 18). Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love; love recompenses the adorers. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/hallow-the-body-as-a-temple-to-comeliness-and-17068/
Chicago Style
Gibran, Kahlil. "Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love; love recompenses the adorers." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/hallow-the-body-as-a-temple-to-comeliness-and-17068/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love; love recompenses the adorers." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/hallow-the-body-as-a-temple-to-comeliness-and-17068/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.










