Quote #49

The ego or self always looks at the world, and the spirit always looks at the next life. Spiritual knowledge always looks at God, Almighty and Exalted. He whose self defeats him is from those who are destroyed. He whose spirit is victorious over his "self" is of the pious, and he whose spiritual knowledge enlightens his spirit is of the God-conscious.

— Bāyazīd Bisṭāmī ق, quoted from Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani