Jean Sasson Quotes

I was born free, yet today I am in chains. Invisible, they were loosely draped and passed unnoticed until the age of understanding reduced my life to a narrow segment of fear. - Sultana

If the Prophet could speak in this new age of modern amenities, I knew he would end such silly tradition.

If you stand near a blacksmith, you will get covered in soot, but if you stand near a perfume seller, you will carry an aroma of scent with you.

When people are uneducated, or simply lack curiosity to seek knowledge, change appears as a frightening unknown. Such fear leads to aggression, even violence.

The man who marries a woman for her beauty will be deceived; he who marries a woman for good sense can truly say he is married. - Sultana

Millions of people have become refugees and beggars when violent extremists have overthrown governments. Should this happen in Saudi Arabia, the first action taken would be to behead or burn to death every Saudi royal.

Only when we evolved as spirited stallions, with a strong will of our own, would we progress and leave the era of those primitives behind us.

Surely the weakness of our monarchy in Saudi Arabia is bound up in our addiction to extravagance. I fear it will be our undoing.

wed. Kareem would find it difficult to outwit

In my land, in the event of a divorce, the mother has the right to retain her children if they are still suckling. But in most cases, a mother maintains custody of daughters until a girl child reaches puberty. In the case of male children, the boy should be allowed to remain with his mother until he is seven. When he reaches his seventh birthday, he is supposed to have the option to choose between his mother or father. Generally it is accepted that the father have his sons at age seven. A son must go with his father at the age of puberty, regardless of the child's wishes. Often, in the case of male children, many fathers will not allow the mother to retain custody of a son, no matter what the age of the child.

Sadly, all of my wounds had been inflicted by men

If nothing else, I have learned that aging has nothing to do with the accumulation of years. Aging is the inevitable defeat of parents by their young.

Patience is the key to solutions.

as women overcome one obstacle, another appears

I know from my short time in the kingdom that all Saudis worry over Saudi opinion. All Saudis I have met act more relaxed around Westerners.

Your tongue is your horse, and if you let it loose it will betray you.

when change is needed and strongly desired by citizens, change will come, one way or another.

It was a known topic: The day of the virgin was leaving our land! Ali puckered

Then there are unreasonable men who complain that simply knowing a sensual female is in the building is too distracting for them to work productively.

Not forever can one enjoy stillness and peace. But misfortune and obstruction are not final. When the grass has been burnt by the fire of the steppe, it will grow anew in summer.

Where were the peacekeepers? Where was the UN? Why was the entire world ignoring Saddam's attack upon his own people? Were we Kurds considered so unworthy, so disposable? I longed to stand at the top of the mountain and shout out, Where are you, world? Where are you ?

You go first.
Go through the door before me.
Enter the limousine while I wait by your side.
Enter the shops while I stand behind, guarding your back.
Sit at the table before me.
Please, sample the tastiest morsels while I sit quietly.
My desire is that you go first, in every occasion of earthly life.
Only once will I go before you,
And that will be at my last moment.
For when death claims us, you must go last.
Because I can't live one second without you.

Riyadh was the base of the government, but none of the Al Sa'ud family particularly enjoyed the city; their complaints never ended about the dreariness of life in Riyadh. It was too hot and dry, the men of religion took themselves too seriously, the nights were too cold. Most of the family preferred Jeddah or Taif.

Storytelling is power. A powerful book or movie can inform and inflame.

I thought to myself, beware of those who look like a rose, for even roses have spikes.

Only when you drink from the river of silence, shall you indeed sing. And, when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And, when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
-Khalid Gibran

Only the men and the wind are completely free

We have witnessed all around the Middle East the tragedies that occur when citizens of repressive governments become so frustrated that they turn to those who preach violence.

When you harm a woman, you harm the whole world.

the emancipation of women is a freedom worth fighting for

We must all work together to bring change to this earth.

Like many a modern parent, I had no clear notion of how to help my most troubled child.

From my personal experiences, it is evident that so many wealthy females within the kingdom are devoted to little else but frivolity, with their thoughts focused mainly on their looks and their luxurious possessions.

born with a book in her mouth.

I've often observed that women can be the weakest link in women's rights.

Poverty can turn a person into a flaming torch for change and revolution, without which mankind would come to a standstill.

A fly will never be able to enter a mouth which knows when to stay shut,