Leila Quotes

It wasn't an effect of alcohol. It was more like we got drunk on the night. ~ Leila Sales

I wish the city of San Francisco, bastion of liberalism, were more innovative when it comes to how to spread the wealth. ~ Leila Janah

What really happened doesn't matter. What matters is how we agree to remember it. ~ Leila Sales

Most of us working on poverty alleviation simply want to know, 'How much poverty can I reduce for every dollar I donate?' ~ Leila Janah

It was 1989, and the word 'Muslim' wasn't even really used in Britain at the time; you were either black or Asian. ~ Leila Aboulela

People have to create some sort of art so they have something to think about other than their shitty lives. ~ Leila Sales

I know the Smiths, I snapped, because lord knows you can launch any kind of criticism at me, lord knows I've heard it all before, but don't you dare doubt my musical knowledge. There's not much I can do right, just this one thing, but you cannot take this one thing from me. ~ Leila Sales

Leila dreamt that her Soul was on fire. It was not a nightmare. Shannon was in the dream. Shannon was telling her to wake up. She woke up, burning as if she had a fever, nearly soaking wet with sweat. Kevin was asleep beside her. ~ H. Raven Rose

Over the years, Leila had come to believe that politicians were literally made of special stuff, chemically different stuff. The senator was flabby and bad-haired and acne-scarred and yet completely magnetic. ~ Jonathan Franzen

Tonight the Internet seemed filled with versions of me, like a fun house filled with mirrors. Some of them made me look prettier, and some of them made me look uglier, and some of them chopped me right in half, but none of them were right. ~ Leila Sales

We think the way out of poverty is to view the poor as producers, and the Internet is probably the most efficient tool we have for tapping this capacity. Because you don't need roads. You don't need customs officials who are friendly. You don't need to manage shipping and delivery schedules. You don't have to worry about tariffs. ~ Leila Janah

Because if there's one thing we know about lesbians, it's that none of them wear bras. ~ Leila Sales

I am touched by her life, how it moves forward, pulses and springs. There is no fragmentation, nothing stunted or wedged. I circle back, I regress, the past doesn't let go. It might as well be a malfunction, a scene repeating itself, a scratched vinl record, a stutter. ~ Leila Aboulela

Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. ~ Leila Sales

You will learn to love again ~ Leila Sales

That's the problem with life. You never get enough time to stare at your ceiling and try to figure out what's going on. ~ Leila Sales

Muslim Girlhood

I never found myself in a pink aisle.
There was no box for me
with glossy cellophane like heat
and a neat packet of instructions in six languages.

Evenings, I watched TV like a religion I moderately believed.
I watched to see how the others lived, not knowing I was the other - no laugh track in my living room, no tidy and punctual resolution waiting.

I took tests in which Jane & William had so many apples.

I fasted through birthday parties
and Christmas parties
and ate leftover tajine at plastic lunch tables,
picked at pepperoni from slices like blemishes and tried not to complain.

I prayed at the wrong times in the wrong tongue.
I hungered for Jell-O & Starburts & margarine;
could read mono- and diglycerides by five,
knew what gelatin meant, and
where it came from. ~ Leila Chatti

Don't underestimate the ripple effect of what you do. These kinds of actionshave toppled empires. ~ Leila Janah

All my life I had been living. How to imagine any other state? ~ Leila Aboulela

I wasn't trained to write non-fiction. ~ Leila Aboulela

Barbies were banned at our house, along with television other than PBS. As a kid, I found this horribly embarrassing. ~ Leila Janah

Samasource's largest clients are technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, Getty Images, and TripAdvisor, which contract with my company rather than a traditional outsourcing company in order to participate in 'impact sourcing' - conscious efforts to reduce poverty by moving money into places that need it. ~ Leila Janah

Forget girls who died decades ago; words were ghosts. They were what haunted me. ~ Leila Howland

United we stand, divided we fall

Just watch us as we beat ya'll.

You say 'brother against brother'?

Well, my brother screwed your mother

And she liked it!

We'll kick your shins and break your knee

'Cause all you got is Robert E. Lee.

Farbs! ~ Leila Sales

night has enveloped, to give me some relief
now invisible are walls of separation, and thy grief

where blood quenches the thirst
disloyalty is faith last and first
is the religion my beloved belongs to

I beckoned, red and black robed lady with a wand
let me take her by the hand
heard of her about sorcery
her powers useless, and witch now about to succumb
from just a gaze of eyes filled with Kohl of Leila

my nights worthless, body breathless
every moment, feeling restless
be silent and hear, hear me, my cries
don't forget the promise you swore
I have lost my childhood over you

don't know, how these years left me alone
sufferings, separation, theft me alone
I never knew how pain excrutiates
sometimes, i enlivened you my dear
Love is a blessing, and not a fear

in a melancholy cloudy day, I mourn
glistening eyes, weeping sky, and heart torn
I gaze from a window in Kashmir
For a moment, condoling the tragedy, sighing
In sombre time, lifeless, as if dying ~ Mirza Sharafat Hussain Beigh

The pathway to hell was paved with good intentions, but what about the wrongs committed for the right reasons? Were they included as well? Life had taught him that anything that starts wrong, ends wrong. In this case, he supposed that only time and its unpredictable mercies would tell. - Percy ~ Leila Meacham

Eid Crescent
I feed on bitterness and satiety never comes.
Today sadness has renewed itself.
Let me narrate the story of two souls,
Whose love was struck by the evil eye,
In a twist which Fate had hidden.
Luck won't smile and Time will scorch.
Only the stars know what is wrong with me.
I almost sense them craning to wipe my tears away. ~ Leila Aboulela

Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don't know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn't you. That isn't you at all. ~ Leila Sales

Next best thing to a sexy man, is a sexy book! ~ Leila Lacey

You can't tell me my feelings are overwrought or absurd. You don't know. They are my feelings. ~ Leila Sales

I wondered if I could make him laugh like that, if he was the kind of guy who believes that girls could also be funny. ~ Leila Howland

If I was looking to play with fire, I wanted to dance in the center of the flames. ~ Leila DeSint

I believe that a person's taste in music tells you a lot about them. In some cases, it tells you everything you need to know. ~ Leila Sales

You were good."

It was a very small compliment, but it came from someone who mattered, about something that mattered. I felt a smile spread across my face. "Really? ~ Leila Sales

I used to think that loving somebody meant sacrificing anything for them. I thought it meant writing them a blank cheque. I thought it meant that you would die without each other. But it turns out that death and a broken heart are not he same.
These days, I think that love is not so dramatic as all that. Maybe loving somebody means simply they bring out the best in you, and you bring out the best in them - so that together, you are always the best possible versions of yourselves. ~ Leila Sales

You said please," I whispered, smiling when his relief flooded my emotions with the force of a thousand dams breaking. "I'm never going to let you live that down. ~ Jeaniene Frost

I think love without heartbreak is a myth. A pretty myth, but the kind of myth that ultimately makes us feel worse about ourselves because we're somehow not able to make it come true. ~ Leila Sales

You're a cold bastard, Caleb.' She turned on her heels, fighting back the tears as she took the first two steps back down.
'A cold bastard who feels a hell of a lot more than he should,' he declared. 'Who, despite what you have done to me here, still cannot see you walk away. Who cannot bear the thought of anyone else laying their hands on you. Who I would kill if they ever hurt you the way I have. I don't want you to be a serryn, Leila. It's the last thing I want. And you being the one I need to kill tears me apart more than you'll ever know. ~ Lindsay J. Pryor

I was sitting cross-legged in bed, trying without success to pretend I'd misunderstood the image I'd glimpsed. Yeah, right. Because Vlad had been between my legs looking for a set of keys he'd lost. ~ Jeaniene Frost

Gretchen shrugged. "After seeing how he acted when she almost died, I'm starting to get why she's with him." Then her voice hardened. "And really, Leila. That's twice now. ~ Jeaniene Frost

...she had already tasted a delicious spoonful of sleep, and all she wanted was another. ~ Leila Howland

If I can add, say, 10 great new violin concertos to the repertoire before I'm done, that will be truly exciting. ~ Leila Josefowicz

Microwork gives marginalized people a chance to earn a living by playing a vital role in the business processes of big companies. In parallel, the organization assists local entrepreneurs in running microwork centers, helping to grow a new pool of business talent across the developing world. ~ Leila Janah

The more time I spent in developing countries, and the more time I spent talking to poor people, I realized what they want more than anything is a good job. ~ Leila Janah

It's really helpful to be physically engaged in something that's completely different from my day-to-day work. ~ Leila Janah

Through my studies, I became increasingly disillusioned with the international aid system. I think we systematically deny poor people the chance to engage as equals in the global economic order. At best, we give them handouts or tiny loans and hope they will suffer a bit less from extreme poverty. We don't view them as equals. ~ Leila Janah

Isn't that funny, to think that the people who have lived in your daydreams for the past two weeks, the people whom you've drawn in your chemistry notebook, to think that those people might not even know who you are? ~ Leila Sales

Vanilla and vanilla bean are two different flavors, and vanilla bean is a much more intense experience ~ Leila Sales

Words." His tone sharpened. "I shared my house, my bed, and my blood with you, as well as offered you a place in my life forever. What are words compared to that?"

I sighed, my anger dissipating as quickly as his flames had. "Oh, Vlad, if you believed that, you would've told me what I wanted to hear to just appease me. You didn't, which proves saying 'I love you' means more to you than everything else. ~ Jeaniene Frost

When you die, you just die. No ghost, no reincarnation, no heaven. People want to believe that their souls live on or whatever, but that's only because they can't handle the idea of the world going on without them. ~ Leila Sales

I think the philosophy that you have to have if you travel frequently is, stuff is just stuff. Even if it has some sentimental or family connection, if you lose it in the world, it's still just a thing, and I think if you don't have that attitude, you will get incredibly stressed out and not enjoy your travels. ~ Leila Janah

That waitress was flirting with me," Dad announced once we were out of the restaurant. He said it in his "whispering voice," which meant it was still loud enough for the waitress, all of her coworkers, and the shoppers at every other store in the mall to overhear.
"Ew," I said. "She was not."
Dad chuckled with delight over how hot and eligible he imagined himself to be. "She kept coming over to 'try to collect my plate' ... "
"Because that is her job," I reminded him.
"And the way she looked at your mother? Pure jealousy!" Dad slipped his arm around Mom's waist. "Poor thing. I left her a big tip. ~ Leila Sales

My goal would be trying to bring some light to the world, which is often a dark and violent place. ~ Leila Josefowicz

I read a lot of fiction. ~ Leila Aboulela

The coverage of Islam in the media is becoming more sophisticated, and there is more access to knowledge. ~ Leila Aboulela

I have learned that a woman can be a fighter, a freedom fighter, a political activist, and that she can fall in love and be loved. She can be married, have children, be a mother. Revolution must mean life also; every aspect of life. ~ Leila Khaled

Theater class seemed like a way to play pretend, only with everyone paying attention to me. ~ Leila Sales

Both of these places, Cairo's downtown and Tahrir Square, are in the heart of downtown Cairo. They are places where young people gather to exchange political and cultural ideas. And so that's possibly a factor into why they went after these institutions, although there's been no public comment from the government on why these raids happened. ~ Leila Fadel

This wasn't the first time I'd woken up as a captive. It wasn't even the second. I so needed to reevaluate my life choices. ~ Jeaniene Frost

There's no use asking Mom and Dad to talk to Nana about her punishment. They won't stand up to her. They never do. This is why I decide I am not going to speak to Nana or Papa or my parents. What Leila and I did was wrong. But now I have been put in the middle of something else entirely. Something about Adam and the adults and things that happened before I was born, maybe even before Adam and Uncle Hayden and Mom were born.
~pgs 144-145; Hattie on adulthood ~ Ann M. Martin

Don't you ever want to have just one thing that no one else knows about, so no one can ruin it for you? ~ Leila Sales

Only fools pity survivors their scars and you should never kowtow to fools ~ Jeaniene Frost

Char had a phone number. He had a home. He probably had a job or a college and a last name and parents and all of that, too. He didn't just spring into existence late on Thursday night and then blink out again at two a.m. He was a real person. ~ Leila Sales

Kay was showing this, exaggerating her whims- loving herself through Leila, really. ~ Anais Nin

Without a best friend to tell stories to, it almost didn't matter if they even happened. ~ Leila Howland

We all want things that aren't good for us. ~ Leila Sales

Playing the martyr doesn't suit you, Leila.'
'Maybe not, but playing the complete and utter bastard clearly suits you. ~ Lindsay J. Pryor

Which to you have?' Mel asked, blocking the entry with his body. 'Talent or issues?' I paused for a moment, thought about this. 'Both,' I said at last. ~ Leila Sales

There is no one specific method that everyone must use. There are no rules and rigid requirements. It is a way of life and a belief system. ~ Leila Haynes

We know what happens when a woman earns money. She is far more likely than a man to spend her earnings on the health and education of her children and to invest in improving her family's standard of living. ~ Leila Janah

Love ain't got no business happenin' to the young. Only the old be wise enough to treat it right. ~ Leila Meacham

I'm attracted to a lot of hot guys. If Chris Hemsworth were here, I'd light him up like a firecracker with how fast I'd jump on him. ~ Jeaniene Frost

Sally and Chava eat only raw vegetables for lunch because they are trying to lose weight. Then they split a pack of Entenmann's doughnuts for dessert. ~ Leila Sales

Out of her pocket and answers it. I didn't hear it ring. "Mr. Grey," she says. Leila and I turn to look at her. Prescott closes her eyes as if in pain. ~ E.L. James

I'm concerned that Islam has not just been politicised but that it's becoming an identity. This is like turning religion into a football match; it's a distraction from the real thing. ~ Leila Aboulela

I founded Samasource because I was frustrated by traditional approaches to poverty alleviation. Even those approaches focused on jobs often equip poor people with skills for which there is little market demand. ~ Leila Janah

It's a dungeon, Leila. They're Supposed to smell.
Mission accomplished. The stench might have actually killed my new appetite. If hell could fart, it would smell like this. ~ Jeaniene Frost

It was a good surprise hiding in a bad one" -Zinnie ~ Leila Howland

Speak your truth with grace and integrity, even though it might upset some people. You never know who else, besides yourself, it might help. ~ Leila Summers

The best way to end poverty is to simply give people work, which isn't considered 'sexy' among donors who want to fund a preschool or cure a disease. ~ Leila Janah

Life was never meant to be a race, rather a journey - to be enjoyed with God, and shared with those we love. These are the things that make life meaningful, leaving us satisfied, rather than wanting. ~ Leila Grandemange

Char," I said, and asked for a third time: "Where did you learn to dance?"
He looked up at me then, though his hand was still fiddling with dials. "I taught myself," he said finally. "I go out a lot."
I nodded like I was very wise and knew all about going out a lot.
"How old are you?" he asked me suddenly.
"Sixteen."
Char hung his headphones around his neck. "I like that."
"What?" I felt self-conscious all of a sudden, and I crossed my arms across my chest. "That I'm only sixteen?"
He laughed. "That sounds creepy. No, I like that you're honest. Some girls might claim to be older, you know, so they seem more mature or whatever. You're not pretending to be anything you're not."
"I suck at pretending to be anything I'm not," I told him, leaning against the booth's railing. "It's not for lack of trying. ~ Leila Sales

The piano entered the story, bringing a new voice to the narrative. Her fingers brushed the keys, her heart straining to find satisfaction in the harmonic shifts and subtle colorings.

It wasn't there.

Leila closed her eyes, tried new ways of speaking a phrase - holding back, pushing forward, adding an unexpected accent, waiting a breath before the harmonic resolution.

But she couldn't find it.

She pushed the music forward with frantic exhilaration, dragging the orchestra behind her.
René shot her a warning look.
Leila drove hard, demanding they follow, viciously attacking the finale as she searched for what eluded her.

But when the last chord exploded, ringing with a rage composed of love and longing, Leila felt nothing but a drained emptiness.

It was as if the reins keeping her in control, in the carefully constructed environment where she'd always created music, had snapped and broken away.
Everything had felt just beyond reach. The notes had danced before her but she'd been unable to grasp them, to own and mold them into what she wanted to say.

"Brava!"

Leila blinked.

People stood, flooding the hall with a deluge of approval for her sacrifice on stage. ~ Emma Raveling

I am already socially disabled; I don't need to be mentally disabled on top of that. ~ Leila Sales

The core concept of Samasource is essentially that technology helps us unlock human talent wherever it may happen to reside. That we should no longer be victims of the birth lottery. That no one should be stuck in a poor place where they don't have a job simply because of an accident of birth. ~ Leila Janah

Don't be afraid to let it go. Releasing hate does not make you forget what you want always to remember. It does not mean reconciliation. ~ Leila Meacham

I write fiction that reflects Islamic logic: fictional worlds where cause and effect are governed by Muslim rationale. However, my characters do not necessarily behave as 'good' Muslims; they are not ideals or role models. ~ Leila Aboulela

Many Arabic/Islamic words have now entered the English dictionary, such as haj, hijab, Eid, etc., and I no longer need to put them in italics or explain them. ~ Leila Aboulela

I AM THE CAT
In Egypt, they worshiped me
I am the Cat.
Because I bend not to the will of man
They call me a mystery.
When I catch and play with a mouse,
They call me cruel,
Yet they take animals to keep
In parks and zoos, that they may gape at them.
They think all animals are made for their pleasure,
To be their slaves.
And, while I kill only for my needs,
They kill for pleasure, power and gold,
And then pretend to a superiority!
Why should I love them?
I, the Cat, whose ancestors
Proudly trod the jungle,
No one ever tamed by man.
Ah, do they know
That they same immortal hand
That game them breath, gave breath to me?
But I alone am free
I am THE CAT. ~ Leila Usher

Life is sort of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, if you know what I mean. Some days are too big. Some days are much too small. But today was one of those rare days that was just right. ~ Leila Sales

I have a cause higher and nobler than my own, a cause to which all private interests and concerns must be subordinated. ~ Leila Khaled

When you write about a Muslim woman, like I did with my previous novels - 'Minaret', for example, which is about a woman who starts to wear the hijab - it sets all the alarm bells ringing. ~ Leila Aboulela

Yes, but you are still only human."
I laughed, the sound of it drowned out by the crunch of rocks as the mountain continued to shudder as though in the throes of birth pangs.
"So was Van Helsing, yet in every movie, he beat the vampire in the end. Never underestimate the power of humanity. ~ Jeaniene Frost

Dogs are our true friends, our angels, our teachers, our healers. They love us unconditionally, as God intended. If we look carefully, we can learn from them how to make the world a brighter and better place. ~ Leila Grandemange

Very well. On my love for Mencheres, I swear that I will honor both you and Leila as my true partners, and I will keep my insolence, trickiness , filthiness, and general knavery to as much a minimum as I can manage. ~ Jeaniene Frost

You should be afraid. Very afraid. Before, I told you if you wanted to end things between us, I would let you go, but, Leila"
his voice deepened
"I lied. ~ Jeaniene Frost

Migration is the story of my life: my parents and grandparents journeyed across four continents to flee war and find jobs, eventually finding their way to the U.S. ~ Leila Janah

And for a moment, he is just a boy, and she is just a girl, and they are happy. ~ Leila Cobo

Hurting people, really, deeply hurting them - that isn't something you do on purpose. It's just a by-product of living. ~ Leila Sales

Traditional charity is still fairly focused on how it makes donors feel as opposed to outcomes for people that need help. ~ Leila Janah