“Personally, I didn't think there was anything wrong with sadness. Just the opposite – hypocrisy made people happy and truth made them sad.” PeopleThinkingMadeSadnessOppositesHypocrisy Author:Elif Safak
“I remember a time when it was ok to make fun of politicians and powerful people. Now, it's not ok anymore. We've forgotten how to laugh.” PeopleRememberFunPowerfulLaughingPoliticianForgotten Author:Elif Safak
“I see two opposite tendencies in Turkish society: people feel demoralized, they lose the interest in politics and retreat to their private lives; or they become very angry and even more politicized, and radicalized. Both trends are troublesome.” PeopleFeelsTwoInterestLosesOppositesAngryTendenciesTrendsRetreatPrivate LifeTroublesomeTurkishDemoralizedTwo OppositesInterest In Politics Author:Elif Safak
“I believe in optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect. But my hope is the people, the society, which is ahead of the government.” PeopleBelieveGovernmentI BelieveOptimismI Believe InIntellectPessimism Author:Elif Safak
“Turkey has a very young, dynamic, curious population. In Europe, Facebook and Twitter are mostly about sharing daily experiences while for Turkish people, social networks are political platforms.” PeopleYoungPoliticalSocialEuropePopulationCuriousPlatformsTurkeysSocial NetworkTurkishDaily Experience Author:Elif Safak
“The digital world is developing with such force and such a pace that you simply can't ban or control it. People want to be globally connected.” PeopleWorldWantForceConnectedDevelopingDigitalPaceBansDigital World Author:Elif Safak
“After the Ankara bombings on October 10, people were asked to hold a minute of silence, but many refused. Our society can't even unite in grief to honor the victims. We've lost our empathy. That's maybe the worst.” PeopleLostGriefSilenceMinutesWorstHonorEmpathyVictimOur SocietyOctoberBombingAnkara Author:Elif Safak
“What i’m saying is, my friends, one ought to be able to let go. If a path does not please us, instead of insisting on going that specific way, of making our selfishness the guide, we ought to forsake. The books we cannot write, the films we cannot shoot, the projects we cannot develop, the jobs we cannot pursue and the people who no longer love us. Being able to let go, at times, is the most beautiful of all!” PeopleIfsWayWritingDoeBookAbleJobsBeautifulFilmPathOughtPleaseLetting GoProjectsMy FriendsGuidesPursueSelfishnessForsakeInsisting Author:Elif Safak
“Perhaps this is why lunatics have a harder time dating, not because they are off the wall but because it is hard to find soemone who is willing to date so many people in one person.” PeoplePersonsHardWillingWallDatingHarderOff The Wall Author:Elif Safak
“Isn't connecting people to distant lands and culture one of the strengths of good literature?” PeopleCultureLiteratureLandConnectingGood Literature Author:Elif Safak
“One thing that has helped me personally in the past was to stop interfering with the people around me and getting frustrated when I couldn’t change them. Instead of intrusion and passivity, may I suggest submission? Some people make the mistake of confusing “submission” with “weakness”, whereas it is anything but. Submission is a form of peaceful acceptance of the terms of the universe, including the things we are currently unable to change or comprehend.” PeopleMayPastFormUniverseTermMistakeOne ThingAcceptanceWeaknessIncludingPeacefulFrustratedInterfereSubmissionConfusingPassivityIntrusionUnable To Change 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
“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.” PeopleIfsHeartMadeTwoDifferentWantedDifferencesHolyUniqueBeatsRhythmMade ItSchemesImposingHeart BeatTwo Hearts Author:Elif Safak
