Elif Şafak Quotes

مهما حدث في حياتك، ومهما بدت الأشياء مزعجة، فلا تدخل ربوع اليأس. وحتى لو ظلت جميع الأبواب موصدة، فإن الله سيفتح دربًا جديدًا لك.

He knew, even back then, that she was prone to bouts of melancholy. It came to her in successive waves, an ebb and flow. When the first wave arrived, barely touching her toes, it was so light and translucent a ripple that you might be forgiven for thinking it insignificant, that it would vanish soon, leaving no trace. But then followed another wave, and the next one, rising as far as her ankles, and the one after that covering her knees, and before you knew it she was immersed in liquid pain, up to her neck, drowning. That's how depression sucked her in.

East, West, South or North makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey, a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll travel the whole wide world and beyond.

"Only remember that cities, too, are like human beings. They are not made of stones and wood, solely. They are of flesh and bone. They bleed when they are hurt.
Every unlawful construction is a nail hammered into the heart of the Instambul. Remember to pity a wounded city the way you pity a wounded person".

An ancient clay tablet read, 'the Babylonian mosquito devil is now in my land; he has slain all the men of my country'. Well, it would have been more accurate if it said, 'she has slain...', as it is the female of the species that causes the carnage, but I guess it's not the first time women have been written out of history.

The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space, and they will come back to us in due time.

Either grant me the bliss of the ignorant or give me the strength to bear the knowledge.

وحتى لو كان قد تبقى من حياتك يوم واحد يشبه اليوم الذي سبقه ، فإن ذلك يدعو للرثاء . ففي كل لحظة ، ومع كل نفس جديد ، يجب على المرء أن يتجدد ويتجدد ثانية . ولا توجد إلا وسيلة واحدة حتى يولد المرء في حياة جديدة وهي أن يموت قبل الموت.

You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly His abode is, there is only one place to look for Him: in the heart of a true lover.

I’ve been thinking that you are my country. Is that a strange thing to say? Without you, I don’t have a home in this world; I am a felled tree, my roots severed all round; you can topple me with the touch of a finger.

We were all created in His image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No two hearts beat to the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others is tantamount to disrespecting God’s holy scheme.

تزور بعض المدن لأنك تريد ان تزورها ، وتزور أخرى لأنها تريدك أن تزورها

So I guess it is in my genes, this melancholy I can never quite shake off. Carved with an invisible knife into my arborescent skin.

لهذا السبب أكره الدين. إذ يعتقد المتدينون أن الله واقف إلى جانبهم ويظنون أنهم يتفوقون على الآخرين.

لقد خلق الله المعاناة لكي تظهر السعادة من خلال نقيضها. فالأشيلء تظهر من خلال أضدادها

.وبما أنه لا يوجد نقيض لله، فإنه يظل مخفيا.