River Spirit Quotes

“Keep your faith within your heart even if your tongue is forced to say otherwise.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit

“She was part of his youth and their love stretched from her village to his town. She must not feel lost or untethered. And there now was his son in her arms.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit

“Free, heart tight, expectant, in love, she was not sure what her position would be in the household, not sure about much except that she did not want to be anywhere else.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit

“Instead, the silky water. She had missed it. Carrying heavy pots of water from the river was no longer one of her chores; Salha deemed it too strenuous and unfitting. Oh, how she missed it and could never feel settled in a town where people could not feast their eyes on the moving blue or set sail or eat fish. Her merchant, her river—she yearned for them both.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit

“I wish I could say she looked like her old self. Suffice to say she looked well. None of us look like our old selves. War is not kind to a woman’s beauty.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit

“When it’s fair trade, it’s blessed, and when it’s unfair it’s an injustice. That is the way of the world. Everyone wants something and they barter to get it.”
― Leila Aboulela, River Spirit