Rebirth is most often associated with religious or spiritual beliefs in a soul and its journey after one’s biological death. Also known as reincarnation, the concept supposes that every living being begins a new life in a new body after its physical form expires in this life. It’s a belief that is deeply rooted in the idea of karma: Who or what we become in the next life is predicated on who or what we are in our current existence.
But there is another, more abstract way of considering the concept of rebirth — that is, how we shed old habits or learn new skills in order to remake ourselves even in this one life. Take, for instance, the idea of a “clean slate” or a “fresh start,” both of which can represent rebirth, renewal, and second chances.
Of course, such a seismic shift doesn’t happen without ample impetus. Just as a phoenix is born out of ashes, so must there be some form of wreckage in order for a rebuilding to take place. Here, we’ve rounded up 12 quotes that touch on the concept of rebirth, as both a spiritual reawakening and its more pedestrian counterpart — a comeback.
Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.Mahatma Gandhi
Long is the cycle of birth and death to the fool who does not know the true path.Buddha
It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.Voltaire
In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn.Octavia Butler
I tend to think of death as being like changing your clothes when they are old and worn out, rather than as some final end.Sogyal Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist
How do you plan a rebirth? I'm not sure you do. You just stand in the darkness until you can't endure it any longer, and then you move forward until you're standing in the light.Questlove
For each of us, there comes a time when we must awaken and become what we were born to become.Seth Adam Smith, author
Wise is the one who flavors the future with some salt from the past. Becoming dust is no threat to the phoenix born from the ash.Curtis Tyrone Jones, author and motivational speaker
Following dark winter's strife, a warm air rises, teemed with life. Birth, rebirth, as the waiting die. Old love, new love sprouts wings to fly.Phar West Nagle, author
Life is a cycle, a great wheel that turns throughout time: we are born, we live, we die, and (if we are lucky) we are reborn again.Robyn Bachar, author
Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons: it’s a rebirth of the spirit.Toni Sorenson, author
I look upon death to be as necessary to our constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.Benjamin Franklin
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