Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.

The saying rejects a cold, self-satisfied kind of intellect. “Wisdom which does not cry” suggests knowledge without compassion or the capacity to be moved by suffering; “philosophy which does not laugh” points to ideas severed from joy, play, and humility; and “greatness which does not bow before children” condemns power that cannot recognize innocence, vulnerability, or the moral authority of the small. In Gibran’s spiritual-humanist outlook, true depth is measured not by abstraction or prestige but by emotional range and reverence for life. The line functions as a prayer or protective charm: a wish to be spared forms of learning and status that harden the heart.