Quotes from books

The Zahir

'I don't regret the painful times; I bear my scars as if they were medals.'

'When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.'

'Being misunderstood by one's contemporaries is surely just part and parcel of being a great artist.'

'What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.'

'When people praise us, we should always keep a close eye on how we behave.
'You'll end up believing that you're better than you are, and allow yourself to slip into a false sense of security, which could be very dangerous.'

'The universe takes care of correcting our mistakes.'

'Our true friends are those who are with us when the good things happen. They cheer us on and are pleased by our triumphs. False friends only appear at difficult times, with their sad, supportive faces, when in fact our suffering is serving to console them for their miserable lives.'

'Blessed are those who are not afraid to admit that they don't know something.'
'Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.'

'Love is the only thing that activates our intelligence and our creativity, that purifies and liberates us.'

'As soon as people decide to confront a problem, they realise that they are far more capable than they thought they were.'

'If there is suffering, then its best to accept it, because it won't go away just because you pretend its not there. If there is joy, then its best to accept that too, even though you're afraid it might end one day.'

'No one should ask themselves that: why am I unhappy? The question carries within it the virus that will destroy everything. If we ask that question, it means we want to find out what makes us happy. If what makes us happy is different from what we have now, then we must either change once and for all or stay as we are, feeling even more unhappy.'

'If a lie is repeated often enough, it ends up convincing everyone.'

'A brush with death always helps us to live our lives better.'