The Perfumist of Paris Quotes

“I’ve come to think that some people are meant to be in our lives for a certain length of time and not a moment more.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime. Samaj-jao?”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“A wise man to the rest of the world is a nobody at home.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn’t like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we’re offering. And in the end, we’re left with...pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It’s hard for us to just walk away.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Why am I the one who must find the solution to a problem I didn’t cause?”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“I've given my best, but I've been used. Delphine said I have to move past it. Lakshmi moved past her betrayals. So did Victorine. Isn't that the look she's giving us in Manet's paining? There will always be a Ferdie in our lives. We have to do our best despite them.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Why, then, does it feel as if I should apologize for focusing on what I love to do? That’s what Pierre can’t forgive, isn’t it? I’m being selfish. Keeping the me part for myself instead of relinquishing it all to him. But do I have to? Delphine doesn’t. Mathilde doesn’t. Florence didn’t. Do I become selfless and devote my entire life to my husband and children or split myself in two: one part of me surrenders myself to my family; the other part dedicates herself to growing her talents—not giving myself completely to either?”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“I mix my Olympia formula again. I sniff the blotter. It’s her. The goddess of the divan herself. Proud. Wounded. But not defeated. Belatedly, I realize Olympia is also me, isn’t she? I’ve given my best, but I’ve been used. Delphine said I have to move past it. Lakshmi moved past her betrayals. So did Victorine. Isn’t that the look she’s giving us in Manet’s painting? There will always be a Ferdie in our lives. We have to do our best despite them.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“I crane my neck around to look at her. “I love my daughters. And I love my work. It feels as if Pierre is asking me to choose one over the other.” Jiji puts her arm around my belly and hugs me from behind. I turn my head back and let out a sigh. “I don’t want to admit it, but since the girls came into our lives, Pierre is not the one I think about the most. I love him—it’s not that. But I think I’m changing in ways that he’s not.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“I think I understand what was just said, but I don’t want to make another faux pas, so I say nothing.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“There’s one way I’ve found to get myself back on track: I recite the scents on my perfume organ in alphabetical order without looking at them. When I get to clove oil, I smile, thinking of Jiji. It’s the calming oil she massaged on her ladies’ hands after the henna paste had dried and flaked off. Only a drop or two was needed to pacify an anxious client just as only a single clove in my morning chai is needed to wake me up gently. My sister also had me add fragrant ingredients to the treats we made for each patron—lemon zest in the pakoras or coconut in the burfi—ingredients that incited desire or calmed frayed nerves or bolstered inner strength. Because of Jiji, I can no longer think of a scent without also thinking of the effect it will have on the wearer.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“My father used to say: One man’s house burns so that another may warm himself. Perhaps Pitaji’s quest for India’s independence was not in vain, not if it resulted in rosier futures for my sister, my daughters and me.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“It’s peaceful in the lab. And quiet. And the scents—honey and clove and vetiver and jasmine and cedar and myrrh and gardenia and musk—are such comforting companions. They ask nothing of me except the freedom to envelop another world with their essence. My sister understands. She told me once that when she skated a reed dipped in henna paste across the palm, thigh or belly of a client to draw a Turkish fig or a boteh leaf or a sleeping baby, everything fell away—time, responsibilities, worries.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“parents’ families have always lived in North India, which means they might have mingled with Persians, Afghanis or even European traders, or perhaps they were just born with light eyes.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Did you know there’s a Hindu belief that the people known to you in this life are the same people you knew in your last life but in different roles?”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“On one side of the room is a floor hearth with a clay oven where I assume chappatis and tandoori chicken and lamb are cooked.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“ground cotton root bark in a paper packet.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“remember how excited we all were when the government started the irrigation projects right after independence. But we didn’t know at the time that those projects were only suited for commercial farms, and India is a nation of small farmers.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“cumin seeds sizzle in the oil before adding the onions. When the onions are nicely browned, I ask Shanti to add two teaspoons each of turmeric and cumin powder and salt, one teaspoon each of garam masala and black pepper, the four cloves of garlic I minced, one cup of fresh cilantro and a tiny bit of red chili powder.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“In Hinduism, the left and right sides of the body carry different meanings. The left is the feminine, the right the masculine.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Rundo Rani, burri sayani. Peethi tunda, tunda pani. Lakin kurthi hai manmani. Little queen, thinks herself so grand. Drinks only cold, cold water. But does so much mischief.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“perfume organ”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Jiji—big sister—but she hadn’t always called me choti behen.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn't like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we're offering. And in the end, we're left with...pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It's hard for us to just walk away.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“You see this hand?" Gérard holds up the claw that is his right hand. "I used to be right-handed. Now this hand is useless. So I learned to paint with my left hand. When the disease progresses, my left hand will be useless, too." He smiles down at me, which is when I notice how electric his blue eyes are. "But in my dreams, I still dream I paint with my right hand. In my dreams, everything is as it used to be. I have not forgotten.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“INGREDIENTS: 1 clean jam jar with airtight lid 2 cups rose petals, red or pink, washed, dried and shredded (be careful to use only rose petals that have not been sprayed with insecticides) 1 cup white sugar (or rock sugar) ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed (optional) DIRECTIONS: Layer the bottom of the jar with some shredded dried petals. Add a layer of sugar. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all the petals and sugar. At this point, you can add the crushed cardamom seeds if desired. Close the jar tightly with a lid. Place the jar in sunlight for 7 to 10 days. Every day, use a clean spoon to stir the contents, which will start to become moist. On the last day, stir and store the jar in the refrigerator. It should last up to a year. Enjoy on toast, ice cream, in milk or even just out of the jar! Some folks add it to paan, a popular Indian snack and breath freshener made with betel leaves and stuffed with areca nuts, lime paste, cardamom, coconut, fennel and other spices. A PERFUME PRIMER Perfume.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“I just was. I just did. I just felt.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn’t like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we’re offering. And in the end, we’re left with…pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It’s hard for us to just walk away.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris

“There are men and men and every stone is not a gem. Likability is in the eye of the beholder.”
― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris