Hafez Quotes
If, like the prophet Noah, you have patience in the distress of the flood, Calamity turns aside, and the desire of a thousand years comes forth.
Hafiz. The Divan-i-Hafiz. Translated by H. Wilberforce Clarke, Government of India Central Printing Office, 1891.
The Vietnam War did not appear to be going well for the United States. Congressman Murtha and a few other members of Congress asked the Commanding General what Congress should do in its oversight role. One problem is that most members of Congress took Westmoreland’s advice. It turned out that the military was fabricating statistics to show a more favorable outcome, and although the military could and did win any particular battle, the South Vietnamese Regime we were supporting was inept and corrupt, and we were making little strategic progress in the war. Congressional patience was later blamed by many for allowing the war effort to bog down and deteriorate with little or no oversight. At the time the statement was made, this was not a significant quotation. It became more important in the light of what happened. It was then heavily quoted in the Iraq war where the administration counseled Congressional and public patience although significant progress was not being made.
Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī, known by his pen name Hafez, was a Persian poet who "lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy." His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and still use them as proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author.
