(1914) - A Tear and a Smile - Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese American poet and writer. He was a central figure of the Arab literary modernism, particularly within the sphere of poetry. A Tear and a Smile is a collection of poems written during his early days as a poet. In these pieces he explores the paradoxes of life through exploring the duality and contrasts of life through sorrow and joy; hence the "tear" and the "smile". Throughout his work he maintains the message that humans are divided within themselves, apart from the already present division amongst one another.
I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the multitude. And I would not have the tears that sadness makes to flow from my every part, turn into laughter. I would that my life remain a tear and a smile.