Abscond Quotes

“For a few seconds, before he became fully conscious, he still had a father. Then it all came back to him.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“The pain of a world in which his father didn’t exist was unbearable.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Every arrival was a celebration. And every goodbye was forever.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“this world isn’t just all the things we can see and touch. It’s also all the things we can’t see, the things we choose to believe.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“What’s for you won’t go by you.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“It was silly to worry about pleasing or displeasing others with his choices; life was hard enough without such meaningless concerns.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“No matter how many times Bala saw me come or go, always it was the same. Every arrival was a celebration. And every goodbye was forever.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“It would have meant little if he wasn’t also playing tennis at a level that astonished him and shocked everyone else. He was ranked number one in New Jersey in his age bracket.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Yes”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“To be the child of Indian parents meant you also had a secret self. Like having brown skin, you had”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“when your father died, you were no longer a son, but a man.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Surely his twin understood just how destroyed he was. He felt an urge to shave his head. It would be a sign on the outside of just how broken he was inside. He was shocked to realize that his impulse to shave his head might be similar to his mother trying to punch herself and pull her hair out.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“In those three magical weeks, he had no need for his secret self; he could be who he was.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Dr. Ramanathan was the exception. He never told his son that he hoped he would follow in his footsteps; at times, his son wished that he would.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Like having brown skin, you had no choice.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Then his mother’s sari whisked into sight, a rapidly moving cylinder of color.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“The pain would never go away, but he would go on. They would go on. He’d been dreaming of his future; he thought he had it plotted out, but now such things felt naive and immature. Yes, he could plan, he must plan, but he had to take into account that fate—or God, or the universe—had its own plans; it was indifferent to his plan. For that reason, and for the first time in his life, he saw that a secret self was so unnecessary. Whatever he chose to do, he’d do it to the best of his ability. It was silly to worry about pleasing or displeasing others with his choices; life was hard enough without such meaningless concerns.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“arrival was a celebration. And every goodbye was forever.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“You see, Ravi, this world isn’t just all the things we can see and touch. It’s also all the things we can’t see, the things we choose”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“the tips of his toes above the level of his heart. “To promote venous drainage,”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“He wanted to retreat to a time before he knew his father, a time when he was buffered from the world and its sorrows by his mother, spared any sound but the drumbeat of her heart, a time when memory had not existed, and so loss could not.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“He stared at the chair where his father should have been. His absence would always be there; the void would define the rest of Ravi’s life.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Yes, he could plan, he must plan, but he had to take into account that fate—or God, or the universe—had its own plans; it was indifferent to his plan. For that reason, and for the first time in his life, he saw that a secret self was so unnecessary. Whatever he chose to do, he’d do it to the best of his ability. It was silly to worry about pleasing or displeasing others with his choices;”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“a man who became a caring husband and an enlightened, wonderful father. He deserved to have lived many more years,”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Who cares what you think about my looks? I lost my father, and my life will never be the same.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Whatever he chose to do, he’d do it to the best of his ability. It was silly to worry about pleasing or displeasing others with his choices; life was hard enough without such meaningless concerns.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“there’s an old Scottish saying my ma was fond of. What’s for you won’t go by you.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“Billy had offered Ravi the thing he most needed: his quiet, silent presence.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“To be the child of Indian parents meant you also had a secret self. Like having brown skin, you had no choice.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond

“He was depressed to think that summer was nearly over. It was like having to leave the theater halfway through a wonderful movie.”
― Abraham Verghese, Abscond