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# The Secret of Life: Inayat Khan's Remarkable Teaching
- URL: https://sufimohamed.com/the-secret-of-life/
- Published: 2026-02-10T11:22:38.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-10T11:22:38.000Z
- Description: Man's attitude is the secret of life, for it is upon man's attitude that success and failure depend.
- Author: Sufi Mohamed
- Tags: Spirituality

*This piece presents teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882–1927), the Indian musician and Sufi teacher who brought Sufism to the West. His lectures on this theme are collected in* The Alchemy of Happiness*, volume 6 of* The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan *(Inayat Khan, 2015).*

## Man's attitude is the secret of life, for it is upon man's attitude that success and failure depend.

It is not man's thought which is man's attitude, it is something behind man's thought pushing it to the fore; and according to the strength of that impulse the thought becomes realised.

## 3 aspects we should observe

1. Attitude towards oneself
2. Whether one is in harmony or disharmony with oneself
3. Whether one treats oneself as a friend or as an enemy.

> Man is generally his own enemy and does not know it, but he proves it in his doings.

Worldly cleverness without faith and strength and trust is usually nothing but a delusion

It is the development of trust in the heart, the development of faith, that first gives a man a friendly attitude to himself. He becomes his own friend by bringing his external being into harmony with his inner being.

Very often the conflict which exists within oneself must first be friendly, kindly, and harmonious.

If one distrusts someone and thinks that one day that person will deceive one, he will certainly be inspired to do so.

Honesty and dishonestly are reflected in the same way in everything one does.

Right and wrong is a scientific and logical truth.

Strength lies in the steadiness of attitude, and any lack of steadiness is the cause of every failure and disappointment.

To know the right attitude from the wrong is as easy as seeing things when the eyes are open.

The man who looks his own error in the eye, the man who criticises himself, has no time to criticise others. It is that man who will prove to be wise.

If one would criticise oneself, there are no end of faults in a human being.

> There cannot be a better prayer and greater religion than being conscientious in regard to the feelings of other men, being ready to serve them, to please them in every way, to forgive them, to tolerate them.

The true satisfaction of the soul is in honest, humble service to one another.

The soul of man is goodness itself, if only he begins to live. The is not something which is acquired, it springs up on itself.

## References

Inayat Khan, H. (2015). *The Sufi message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Vol. 6\. The alchemy of happiness*. Motilal Banarsidass.

## Related reading

- [The Struggle of Life: Inayat Khan's Powerful Teaching](https://sufimohamed.com/the-struggle-of-life/)
- [The Purpose of Life: Inayat Khan's Valuable Teaching](https://sufimohamed.com/the-purpose-of-life/)
- [What Is Wanted in Life? Inayat Khan's Uplifting Answer](https://sufimohamed.com/what-is-wanted-in-life/)

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