Published in 1923, The Prophet was a best-seller and has been translated into more than twenty languages. A series of twenty-eight related prose poems, the book is a mystical and intensely subjective work, presenting the human soul as essentially noble and good. In the introduction, Almustafa, the prophet, who is about to leave the city of Orphalese, is asked by the seeress Almitra to speak to the people about life. He begins with a discourse on love and then turns to everyday concerns and to such higher matters as good and evil, religion, and death. He finally bids farewell and departs.

In The Forerunner, published in 1920, Gibran asserts that “nobody is to be blamed for our ‘being’ and ‘having’ but ourselves.” Gibran makes clear that we are our own destiny and not the toy of a blind fate.

In The Madman, published in 1918, the madman is not literally mentally unbalanced; on the contrary, he is perfectly healthy. His madness is only in the eyes of others. Gibran asserts that we tend to be what society expects from us, although these expectations could be detrimental for the development of our self-identity. Oftentimes we veil our true selves with masks out of fear of being ridiculed by others.