Incense, over the ages and across cultures, has been revered by a multitude of people around the world. Different regions often utilize incense in distinctive manners, leading to unique perspectives on the subject.
Notable figures such as Rumi, Prem Prakash, Tommy Hilfiger, David Bowie, along with esteemed texts like The Bible, and philosophers like Zicheng Hong, have mentioned incense.
Several of these quotes have withstood the test of time, continuing to inspire and resonate with many of us today, and we will list some of them in the section below:
Quotes
“We had incense and rock’n’roll posters, and we sold records and rolling papers. People could just, like, hang out. We had a cool vibe going.“ ~ Tommy Hilfiger
“Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. “When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. “You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering, and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.“ ~ Exodus 30:7-9
“When the mind is possessed of reality, it feels tranquil and joyous even without music or song, and it produces a pure fragrance even without incense or tea.“ ~ Zicheng Hong
“At the end of our lives we hope we will look back and, like an incense stick completely burned away, will have poured forth all our fragrance into the world.“ ~ Prem Prakash
“Light the incense! You have to burn to be fragrant.“ ~ Rumi
“I acknowledge the four elements. Water in the North; incense to recognize the air in the East; flowers for the earth in the South; a candle for light from the West. It helps me keep perspective.“ ~ Laura Esquivel
“I’m in awe of the universe, but I don’t necessarily believe there’s an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for the visual in religious rituals, though, even though they may be completely empty and bereft of substance. The incense is powerful and provocative, whether Buddhist or Catholic.“ ~ David Bowie
“There are lots of things to like about being Eastern Orthodox – incense, liturgies, all the baklava you can eat – but you know what I like best? None of that stupid ‘women’s ministry’ stuff.“ ~ Frederica Mathewes-Green
Very interesting note. I liked the incense stories. It turns out that all countries have their own traditional incense intended for various occasions. Thank you, I was interested to read.