There Are Rivers in the Sky

by Elif Shafak

The world would have been a much more interesting place if everyone was given a chance to meet their ancestors at least for an hour in their lifetime.

More and more, he comes to realize that people fall into three camps: those who hardly, if ever, see beauty, even when it strikes them between the eyes; those who recognize it only when it is made apparent to them; and those rare souls who find beauty everywhere they turn, even in the most unexpected places.

Books, like paper lanterns, provide us with a light amidst the fog.

“Cousins, friends, books, songs, poems, trees…anything that brings meaning into our lives counts.”

Clock-time, however punctual it may purport to be, is distorted and deceptive. It runs under the illusion that everything is moving steadily forward, and the future, therefore, will always be better than the past. Story-time understands the fragility of peace, the fickleness of circumstances, the dangers lurking in the night but also appreciates small acts of kindness. That is why minorities do not live in clock-time. They live in story-time.

“When someone gives you the food they’ve prepared, they give you their heart.”

That’s the thing about failing: either it makes you super-afraid of failing again or, somehow, you learn to overcome fear.”

“People think a tattoo is an act of rebellion or something, but, actually, it’s a form of storytelling. That’s what most customers come in for—not just some random image or word in ink. They come because they have a story to tell.”

“Where you have set your mind begin the journey Let your heart have no fear, keep your eyes on me.”