Golestan (Rose Garden)
Saadi (Abu Muhammad Muslih al Din bin Abdallah Shirazi)
Chapter VII, story 15
Once, a great man who had lost his beloved son was asked what to write on his son’s grave. The father replied: The verses of the Quran are too sacred to be inscribed in such a place, where time would corrode them, human feet would tread upon them, and dogs would defile them. If anything needs to be written, it is enough to inscribe the following: “Oh, how every time a plant grew in the garden, my heart danced with joy. Come, my friend, come in spring to see how the plants sprout from my clay.”
Chapter VIII, principle 22
Businesses thrive with patience, and he who rushes does not succeed… With my own eyes, I saw in the desert how a slow man surpassed a fast one. The horse galloping as fast as the wind lagged behind, while the man on foot continued with his slow and steady pace.