Lulus

“There are those who seek me a lifetime but never we meet,
And those I kiss but who trample me beneath ungrateful feet.

At times I seem to favor the clever and the fair,
But I bless all those who are brave enough to dare.

By large, my ministrations are soft-handed and sweet,
But scorned, I become a difficult beast to defeat.

For though each of my strikes lands a powerful blow,
When I kill, I do it slow... ”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“As women of the western world, we see our sisters in other lands being raped, maimed and even executed simply for trying to exercise the most basic freedoms, such as taking a bus alone or wearing a bright red sweater. And when we look at our own world, we see that it too still lacks equality for the sexes.

It's a terrible thing to go through one's entire lifetime not getting to do all the things we dream of doing just because others say we're not permitted to do them, and to know that they will hurt us if we try.

But far, far worse than that is when there's not a thing or a person outside that's stopping us from living exactly as we wish, but we stop ourselves; internally we do not give ourselves permission, simply because we're too scared of what will happen if we dare.”
― Patricia V. Davis, The Diva Doctrine: 16 Universal Principles Every Woman Needs to Know

“Dear friend, life passes with or without God.”
― Marjane Satrapi, Chicken with Plums

“But it ain't easy, trying to do without God. Even if you know he ain't there, trying to do without him is a strain.”
― Alice Walker, The Color Purple