Nahj al-Balagha Hadith n. 50

Selections from The Sayings and Preaching of Amir al-Muminin Ali ibn Abi Talib (Peace Be Upon Him) Including His Replies to Questions and Maxims Expressed for Various Purposes.
Translated by Sayyid Ali Reza

وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام):

Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said:

قُلُوبُ الرِّجَالِ وَحْشِيَّةٌ،

The hearts of the people are like wild beasts.

فَمَنْ تَأَلَّفَهَا أَقْبَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ

Whoever tames them, they would pounce upon him. 20

 

20. This saying confirms the theory that by nature human hearts love wildness and that the feeling of love and affection in them is an acquired attribute. Consequently, when the factors and causes of love and affection crop up they get tamed hut when these factors disappear or the feelings of hatred are created against them, the people return to wildness, and thereafter they return to the path of love and affection with great difficulty. Do not tease the heart because it is a wild bird. If once it flies away from the roof it would come down with great difficulty.