“Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough.” IfsLoveMeanPersonsEnoughStoriesHavensTransformationUnexpectedFortyLove And FriendshipBefore And After Author:Elif Safak
“I see what you mean. It must be a huge relief, and an easy way out, to think the devil is always outside of us. (…) we would stop looking for Sheitan outside and instead focus on ourselves. What we need is sincere self-examination. Not being on the watch for the faults of others.” (p. 257).” ThinkingWayNeedsMeanSelfEasyWatchesFocusHugeDevilFaultsReliefSincereExaminationEasy WaySelf-examination Author:Elif Safak
“The world does not move through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead time moves through and within us, in endless spirals. Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness.” IfsWorldMeanDoePastMovingLinesEternityInfiniteEndlessStraight LinesSpiralsProceedingTimelessnessInfinite Time Author:Elif Safak
“Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is best to find a person, the person who will be your mirror. Remember, only in another person's heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you.” BelieveHeartMeanPersonsTwoDifferentFeelingsRememberEasyPathLonelinessSolitudeLonelyMirrorsDifferent ThingsWithin YouPresence Of GodRight PathFeeling LonelyLoneliness And SolitudeTwo Different Things Author:Elif Safak
“How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we.” IfsMindMeanCompassionToo MuchReflectionDirectBlameLove And Compassion Author:Elif Safak
“Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be so shortsighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.” KnowsLooksMeanDoeEndsEnoughRunningAbleNightProcessResultsNeededLoversMoonRoseEndureDawnOutcomesImpatienceEnd ResultsPatience And LoveCrescentPatience LoveCrescent Moon Author:Elif Safak
“Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness” MeanDoeEternityInfiniteFortyTimelessnessInfinite Time Author:Elif Safak
“Submission does not mean being weak or passive. It leads to neither fatalism nor capitulation. Just the opposite. True power resides in submission. A power that comes from within. Those who submit to the divine essence of life will live in unperturbed tranquility and peace even when the whole wide world goes through turbulence after turbulence.” WorldMeanDoeWholeDivineWeakEssenceOppositesWideSubmitPassiveTranquilitySubmissionTurbulenceEssence Of LifeFatalismTrue PowerCapitulation Author:Elif Safak
“We're born into a certain family, nation, class. But if we have no connection whatsoever with the worlds beyond the one we take for granted, then we too run the risk of drying up inside. Our imagination might shrink; our hearts might dwindle, and our humanness might wither if we stay for too long inside our cultural cocoons. Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family - if all the people in our inner circle resemble us, it means we are surrounded with our mirror image.” PeopleIfsWorldHeartMeanLongMightRunningCertainNationsBornImaginationClassRiskConnectionsMirrorsCirclesGrantedColleaguesShrinksNeighbourHumannessCocoonsMirror Image Author:Elif Safak
