Sun-dew, why is it that every insect dies instantly when it kisses you? 
 --I like him so much that I devour him.
 Sun-dew, where did you learn this philosophy?
 --Once upon a time a voice said to me, "I am the love and I am the life, and whosoever cometh to me, I embrace him and turn him into my own being."

  
  Celandine, what is your meaning? --I am a little light of the earth.

  
  Rosebud, what didst thou do all night?
--With folded hands I was praying to heaven to open my
heart.

  
  Water-lily, what do you represent by your white garb? --The purity at the heart of this lake.

  
  Tulip, why have you opened your lips?
--To tell you what I have learned in the silence.
What did you learn?
--To make of myself an empty cup.

  
  Orchid, what do your petals represent?
--Graceful movements of the dance.
What does your dance express?
--The earth paying homage to heaven.

  
  Little daisies, why do you keep so close to earth?
--Because earth is the home of all mortal beings.
Little daisies, what gospel do you preach?
--Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Little daisies, for what are you here?
--To reflect heaven on earth.
Little daisies, what is your daily duty?
--To console the hearts that are trodden upon.

  
  Little daisies, what are you doing here in the church-
yard? --We worship God by bowing at the feet of His creatures.

  
  Cactus, why are you fringed with thorns?
--I am the tongue of the malicious man.
Cactus, why is your stem so thorny?
--I am the hand of the evil-doer.
Cactus, why have you thorns on your leaf also?
--I am the heart of the wicked, who take pleasure in hurting others.

  
  Beautiful gorse-bushes, what are you here for?
--We are little lanterns on your path.
But where do you get your prickly thorns from?
--Flowers from above, thorns from below.

  
  Rose-bush, what are you, friend or foe?
--I am both, for my flowers are the caress of a friend and
my thorns the sting of a foe.

  
  Wheat-grains, why do you grow so close together?
--Unity is our strength; that is why you seek in us your life sustenance.

  
  Palm-tree, what do your outstretched hands signify?
--I raise my hands heavenward when I pray, and then I
pass the blessing on to the earth.

  
  Pine-trees, what are you?
--We are the phantoms of sages who preferred vigil in the
forest solitude to life in the world.

  
  
 Pine-trees, what do your branches signify?
--Hands stretched out from heaven to bless the earth. Pine-trees, for what are you made?
--We are temples erected for the worshippers of God in nature.
Pine-trees, tell me your life's secret.
--We are the shadows of souls on the cross, awaiting patiently the hour of their liberation.

  
  Dry wood, why do they burn you?
--Because I no longer can bear fruit.

  
  Thunderstorm, what gives you this emotion? --My passion for the earth.

  
  Full moon, where will you be going from here?
--Into a retreat.
Why do you take a retreat after fullness?
--To make myself an empty vessel in order to be filled again.

  
  Church-bell, what do you repeat?
--The sacred Name of God, which resounds through my whole being.
Church-bell, what do you proclaim?
--I proclaim that every head which resounds like mine, spreads abroad the Message of God.
Church-bell, what makes you move?
--The Word of God.

  
  Incense, what were you whispering at the church service? --No prayer can reach God unless it arises from a glowing heart.

  
  Incense, what did you preach at the church?
--He who endureth pain in the cause of others must rise from the mortal world to the spheres of immortality. Incense, what does your perfume signify?
--My perfume is the evidence of my self-sacrifice.
Incense, tell me what mortal is veiled in your nature? --When my heart endures the test of fire, my hidden quality becomes manifest.
Incense, tell me the secret of your being.
--I am the heart of the lover of God, whose deep sign rises upward, spreading its perfume all around.

  
  Money, what do you signify?
--I am the seal of hearts; a heart once sealed by me will love no one but me.
When you leave, what becomes of your lover?
--I leave behind a mark on my lover's heart which remains always as a wound.
Money, what do you like most?
--Changing hands.
Where is your dwelling-place?
--In the heart of my worshipper.
Where do you accumulate?
--Where I am warmly welcomed.
Where do you stay?
--Where I am adored.
Money, whom do you seek?
--Him who seeks me.
Money, whom do you obey?
--Him who has risen above me; I become his slave and lie as dust at his feet.

  
  Devil, where do you find your location?
--In doubting eyes, in a sharp tongue, in a gossiping mouth, in inquisitive ears, in idle hands, in restless feet, in a vicious body, in a crooked mind, in a bitter heart, and in a darkened soul.
Devil, how do you express yourself?.
--In winking eyes, in sneering smiles, in cutting words and in false tears.

  
  Why, what are you?
--I am the cry of the hungry mind.
Why, what do you signify?
--I am the knocker on a closed door.
Why, what do you represent?
--The owl which cannot see during the day.
Why, what is your complaint?
--The irritation of mind.
Why, what is your life condition?
--I am shut up in a dark room.
Why, how long will your captivity last?
--All night long.
Why, what are you so eagerly waiting for?
--The daybreak.
Why, you are yoursSayings of Hazrat Inayat Khan:  Vadanelf the cover over the answer you want.

  
  Match-stick, what did you say when I struck you? --Why?