Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Manal al-Sharif

Quote by Manal al-Sharif

Work

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening

This book is a personal account of a Saudi woman's life and her struggle for freedom and autonomy, focusing on the symbolic act of driving. It details her experiences growing up in a conservative environment, the challenges she faced, and her eventual decision to defy the ban on female drivers. The narrative explores themes of courage, resilience, and the broader fight for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, offering insight into the cultural and legal barriers that women encounter. more

Author

Manal al-Sharif
Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif is a prominent Saudi Arabian activist known for her advocacy for women's rights, particularly the right to drive. Born on April 25, 1979, she became internationally recognized after being arrested for driving in 2011, an act that was illegal for women in Saudi Arabia at the time. Al-Sharif's activism has been pivotal in the ongoing campaign to end the ban on women driving in the country. more

You May Also Like

“There is something about yourself that you don't know. Something that you will deny even exists until it's too late to do anything about it. It's the only reason you get up in the morning, the only reason you suffer the shitty boss, the blood, the sweat and the tears. This is because you want people to know how good, attractive, generous, funny, wild and clever you really are. "Fear or revere me, but please think I'm special." We share an addiction. We're approval junkies. We're all in it for the slap on the back and the gold watch. The "hip, hip, hoo-fucking-rah." Look at the clever boy with the badge, polishing his trophy. Shine on, you crazy diamond. Cos we're just monkeys wrapped in suits, begging for the approval of others.”

“His chief delights were of a less public and philanthropic kind, requiring many explanations of sounds which seemed peculiar even amidst that babel of the damned. Among these sounds were frequent revolver-shots—surely not uncommon on a battlefield, but distinctly uncommon in an hospital. Dr. West’s reanimated specimens were not meant for long existence or a large audience.”

“Whether he remained here, or found a means to leave, he ought certainly to possess himself of the best possible weapons. By the term Mr. Lecky understood some sort of firearm. The fact that he was totally unacquainted with the use of guns assisted him in the illusion that, given a revolver, he would instantly become formidable. Trusting machines as he did, he regarded a revolver as a small killing machine. He believed that its operation required little more than pointing and pulling a trigger. The revolver would obediently deliver, unerring and fast as light, death to a great distance.”

“May be the power lies in the hands of the one who holds the gun... so he just presses the trigger whenever the slightest streak of anger passes his mind... and after a few haunting days he roams freely in the country without fear .. and what about the one who faces the wrath and bears the bullets? He leaves a movement behind... but haven't such movements always been ephemeral? Is death the price you need to pay to open the eyes of those who care but just for a couple of days?”