Here are two short verses from the revered Kashmiri mystic and poet Nuruddin Rishi. For more about him, see this earlier post.

The ego is the knotted wood of the forest—
     not good enough for
          making the frame of a cradle.
He who chops it down, brings it home,
     and burns it in the kitchen fire,
          he follows the path of Muhammad.

* * *

Knowingly sow the seeds of friendship.
Sacrifice your very life to nurture them.
What will you do if you don’t see the Friend?
The Friend will never abandon a friend.

Tr. Jaishree K. Odin