Actual rating: 3.5stars 
 "Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough." 
 I started this book some time ago. But after a few pages I put it down. For it raised a very conflicting situation in my mind. And I was not sure whether to read it further. As a reader I am very much affected by books. I have seen a good book touch my heart and change my way of thinking. I was not sure if it would be that kind of book and I did not want to raise an exception to my mind in that particular time. So I decided to read it some time later. A few days ago I was depressed and out of the blue started to read it again. 
 "If you want to change the ways others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses." 
 It was a very nice choice for me at that particular time I must say. This book has a soothing sense as it speaks of love. Love for God, for mankind and all other kinds of love. As I was going deeper into the book I liked the book even more. I can read in a moderate pace but I read the book slowly taking in everything it says. I found the forty rules beautiful. Somewhere in our heart we know the rules. We have read it in different books at different times. It all came in front of me at once in this book. 
 "Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to look at the end of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full." 
 In this story I understood Shams of Tabriz but I did not understood Rumi very well nor did I understood their connection well. Shams was a very intimidating character and he could intimidate people in good or bad ways. But what he was trying to bring out of Rumi was very unclear to me. I felt if I could know Rumi's transition in detail I would understand it better. It is the only thing I felt lacking in this book. 
 "The whole universe is contained within a single human being-you. Everything that you see around, including the things that you might not be fond of and even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees. Therefore, do not look for Sheitan outside yourself either. The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinary voice within. If you set to know yourself fully, facing with honesty and hardness both your dark and bright sides, you will arrive at a supreme form of consciousness. When a person knows himself or herself, he or she knows God. " 
 I loved the emails between Ella and Aziz. They were deep and meaningful. I like these kind of conversations where you can find the depth of mind of others. As I am a very closed of person and don't talk to people how I feel very often, I always long for this kind of friendship. 
 "The past is an interpretation. The future is on illusion. The world does not more through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead time moves through and within us, in endless spirals. Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness. If you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and the future out of your mind and remain within the present moment." 
 Lastly, I am very glad that I have read this book. This is not one of my most favorite books but yet it will stay with me for a long time. 
 "The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time."