Khalil Gibran: The Philosopher Exiled for Truth, Loved by Women, Feared by Priests

• Khalil Gibran, a philosopher, artist, and writer, believed in knowing truth but speaking it selectively, arguing words diminish its purity.
• His sharp criticism of the Maronite Catholic Church's corruption and political injustice led to his excommunication and exile from Lebanon.
• His revolutionary book 'Spirits Rebellious' was publicly burned, and authorities deemed him "dangerous" for youth.
• Despite opposition, he found support from influential women like Mary Haskell, who funded his studies, and May Ziadeh, with whom he had a 19-year epistolary romance.
• Gibran, who lived in America, died at 46 from a car accident, but his works remain globally influential, and he is now a national hero in Lebanon.

Why It Matters: Khalil Gibran, a revolutionary thinker, faced exile for his truths but left an immortal legacy.