For the first time I experienced blissful sleeplessness full of fantasies and delightful imaginings; and for the first time I knew how one person's f… - Fadwa Tuqan

Just as tyrannical surveillance, repression and sugjugation in society give rise to the dual traits of submission and rebelliousness, the same is true of individuals. Anyone who grows up in an environment of secret police surveillance and oppressive family authority will emerge with a dual psyche. There are always acquired characteristics, arising as a result of social and, in particular, family subjugation. (p28)

I withdrew my eyes to take a look inside myself. My heart said: "This is life: every minute one is reborn, leaving behind a personality different from the present one"...the river of my life goes on and, after that destructive experience, I'll never allow an obstacle to stand in its way. (p180)

In school I was able to discover some parts of my lost self. There I established myself as a person, something I had not been able to do at home. (p45)