246 Quotes by Elif Shafak

The past lives within the present, and our ancestors breathe through our children.

Time is just an illusion. What you need is to live this very moment. That is all that matters.

Stories cannot demolish frontiers, but they can punch holes in our mental walls, and through those holes we can get a glimpse of the other and sometimes even like what we see.

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.

Identity politics divides us; fiction connects. One is interested in sweeping generalizations, the other in nuances. One draws boundaries, the other recognizes no frontiers. Identity politics is made of solid bricks; fiction is flowing water.

A saint belongs to all humanity.

You see, unlike in the movies, there is no THE END sign flashing at the end of books. When I’ve read a book, I don’t feel like I’ve finished anything. So I start a new one.

Personally, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with sadness. Just the opposite – hypocrisy made people happy and truth made them sad.

Cities are erected on spiritual columns. Like giant mirrors, they reflect the hearts of their residents. If those hearts darken and lose faith, cities will lose their glamour.