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Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Quotes

Author

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author renowned for her rich body of work. Her writings primarily focus on themes of women, immigration, and multiculturalism, encompassing novels, poetry, and essays.

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Famous Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Quotes

“I guess there's a lot we hope for that never happens.”

Happens

Book:Sister of My Heart

Source: Sister of My Heart

“the darkness is a cresting wave. It sweeps me up out of my body until I float among the stars, those tine bright pores on the sky's skin. If only I could pass through them, I would end up on the other side, the right side, shadowless, perfectly illuminated, beyond the worries of this mundane world”

Ifs World Ends Body Stars Sides Darkness Worry Sky Skins Wave Floats Mundane

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“But maybe as I get older, I begin to see beauty where I least expected it before.”

Expected

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“I liked his voice, rich and unself-conscious even when he forgot words and hummed to fill in the gap. What I didn't understand, I imagined, and thus it became a love song.”

Song Voice Rich Conscious Gaps

Book:Queen of Dreams

Source: Queen of Dreams

“After the fire, when I'd tried to express my gratitude for their kindness to our customers, they'd been awkward, uncomfortable. My father had had to explain to me that giving thanks is not a common practice in India. 'Then how do you know if people appreciated what you did?' I'd asked. 'Do you really need to know?' my father had asked back.”

People Ifs Knows Needs Giving Father Common Practice Kindness Fire Gratitude India Customers Thanks Uncomfortable Do You Know Awkward Selflessness Appreciated

Book:Queen of Dreams

Source: Queen of Dreams

“Can't you ever be serious?' I said, mortified. 'It's difficult,' he said. 'There's so little in life that's worth it.”

Littles Said Difficult Serious Worth It Seriousness Krishna

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Looking back, I could not point to one special time and say, There! That's what is amazing. We can change completely and not recognize it. We think terrible events have made us into stone. But love slips in like a chisel - and suddenly it is an ax, breaking us into pieces from the inside.”

Thinking Made Pieces Special Events Terrible Stones Slips Looking Back Chisels Special Times Terrible Events

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path , All they do is trip you up”

Path Rocks Expectations

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“I tried to hold on to this compassion, sensing its preciousness, but even as I reached to grasp it, it dissipated into wisps. No revelation can endure unless it is bolstered by a calm pure mind- and I'm afraid I didn't possess that.”

Mind Compassion Pure Endure Calm Revelations Sensing Wisps

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“A dream is a telegram from the hidden world...Only a fool or an illiterate person ignores it.”

World Persons Dream Fool Illiterate Telegrams Illiterate Person

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“In life, it's best not to take anything for free - unless it's from someone who wishes you well.”

Wells Wish Wish You Wishing You Well

Book:Queen of Dreams

Source: Queen of Dreams

“Everyone breathes in air, but it's a wise person who knows when to use that air to speak and when to exhale in silence.”

Knows Persons Use Speak Silence Wise Air Breathe Wise Person

Book:Queen of Dreams

Source: Queen of Dreams

“How can I forgive if you are not ready to give up that which caused you to stumble?”

Ifs Giving Ready Giving Up Forgiving Repentance Not Ready Ready To Give Up

Book:The Mistress of Spices

Source: The Mistress of Spices

“...don't create snakes out of ropes. You have enough to worry about.”

Enough Worry Snakes Rope

Book:The Mistress of Spices

Source: The Mistress of Spices

“Tomorrow is another day. I've got plenty of things to worry about right now.”

Worry Tomorrow Right Now Plenty Another Day Tomorrow Is Another Day

Book:Sister of My Heart

Source: Sister of My Heart

“Everytime i have turned the page he re-enters my life as awkward as postscript”

Pages Awkward

Book:Sister of My Heart

Source: Sister of My Heart

“Or perhaps it is just that desire lies at the heart of human existence. When we turn away from one desire, we must find another to cleave to with all our strength --or else we die.”

Humans Heart Lying Desire Dies Turns Existence Human Existence

Book:Sister of My Heart

Source: Sister of My Heart

“Everyone has a story. I don't believer anyone can go through life without encountering at least one amazing thing.”

Stories Believer Amazing Things Everyone Has A Story

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“A problem becomes a problem only if you believe it to be so. And often others see you as you see yourself.”

Ifs Believe Problem If You Believe

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Love comes like lightning, and disappears the same way. If you are lucky, it strikes you right. If not, you'll spend your life yearning for a man you can't have.”

Ifs Men Way Lucky Disappear Strikes Yearning Lightning

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“I saw something I hadn't realized before: words wasted energy. I would use my strength instead to nurture my belief that my life would unfurl uniquely.”

Use Belief Energy Saws Nurture

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you.”

Childhood Hunger

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“The heart itself is beyond control. That is its power, and its weakness.”

Heart Weakness Beyond Control

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Sometimes -- she knows this from her own life -- to get to the other side, you must travel through grief. No detours are possible.”

Knows Sometimes Sides Grief Detours

Book:Oleander Girl: A Novel

Source: Oleander Girl: A Novel

“There was an unexpected freedom in ﬁnding out that one wasn't as important as one had always assumed!”

Important Unexpected

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Often, others see you, as you see yourself”

Book:The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

Source: The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

“Buddha's Wife tells a fascinating story, little known in the west, about the woman whom Buddha left behind. Gabriel Constans focuses the reader's attention on the strong and complicated women who surrounded Buddha and makes us re-think the nature of spiritual life.”

Thinking Littles Book Stories Spiritual Left Strong Behinds Attention Known Wife Reader West Complicated Fascinating Spiritual Life Left Behind Gabriel

Author:Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“Girls have to be toughened so they can survive a world that presses harder on women.”

World Girl Harder Presses

Book:Oleander Girl: A Novel

Source: Oleander Girl: A Novel

About the Author

Born: 1956
Known for: Author
Quotes: 78

Books & Sources

Sister of My HeartRelated source material

The Palace of Illusions: A NovelRelated source material

Before We Visit the GoddessRelated source material

The Mistress of SpicesRelated source material

The Palace of IllusionsRelated source material

Queen of DreamsRelated source material

The Last QueenRelated source material

Oleander GirlRelated source material

Oleander Girl: A NovelRelated source material

The Forest of EnchantmentsRelated source material

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