Saadat Hasan Manto Quotes

You would have realized that it wasn't Mumtaz, a muslim, a friend of yours, but a human being you had killed. I mean, if he was a bastard, by killing him you wouldn't have killed the bastard in him; similarly, assuming that he was a Muslim, you wouldn't have killed his Muslimness, but him. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

that ugly truth about Manto, the man: that for all his love of Indian multiplicity, he went to Pakistan. He even tried convincing Chughtai to go. 'The future looks beautiful in Pakistan,' he said to her, 'We'll be able to get the houses of people who've fled from there. It'll be just us there. We'll progress very quickly.' When I read this, I had trouble holding the two Mantos in my mind. It seemed impossible that the creator of Manto, the narrator and fictional presence, so immersed in the variety of India, seeming so much to rejoice in it, should also be the author of that remark, with its sly wish for homogeneity, for the place where 'It'll be just us.' Chughtai, for other reasons, was also disgusted. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Dear God, master of the universe, compassionate and merciful: we who are steeped in sin, kneel in supplication before your throne and beseech you to recall from this world Saadat Hasan Manto, son of Ghulam Hasan Manto, who was a man of great piety. Take him away, Lord, for he runs away from fragrance and chases after filth. He hates the bright sun, preferring dark labyrinths. He has nothing but contempt for modesty but is fascinated by the naked and the shameless. He hates sweetness, but will give his life to taste bitter fruit. He will not so much as look at housewives but is in seventh heaven in the company of whores. He will not go near running waters, but loves to wade through filth. Where others weep, he laughs; and where others laugh, he weeps. Faces blackened by evil, he loves to wash with tender care to make visible their real features. He never thinks about you but follows Satan everywhere, the same fallen angel who once disobeyed you. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

I feel like I am always the one tearing everything up and forever sewing it back together. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

I wondered why people consider escapism so bad, even the escapism on display right then. At first it might appear unseemly, but in the end its lack of pretension gives it its own sort of beauty. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

God commands worship but doesn't five it. After having spent a few moments with nothingness, he gave life to existence ... but where is nothingness now? Like a mother it gave birth to existence and then died in childbirth. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

If a man has to make a woman the center of his love, why should he integrate animality into this sacred human emotion? ... Is love incompelete without it? ... Is love the name of physical excersize ? ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

She could crowd a thousand thoughts into her head, but it was, at that moment like a strainer -- the more she tried to fill up every little corner, the more emptiness there was. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

The field that cannot feed even its tiller Burn down every stalk that stands on it. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Manto had earlier been prosecuted in Lahore for obscenity, and one of the words alleged to have been obscene was, breasts ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

He catches the thieves that lie in the hearts of their pure and respectable wives. And he compares them to the purity in the heart of a whore in a brothel. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

If you find my stories dirty, the society you are living in is dirty. With my stories, I only expose the truth ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Her pores were like those of an orange, its skin filled with juice, which, if you applied the slightest pressure, would squirt up into your eyes. She was that fresh. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

But love, whether in Multan or on Siberia's icy tundra, whether in the winter or the summer, whether among the rich or the poor, whether among the beautiful or the ugly, whether among the crude or refined, love is always just love. There's no difference. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

thought a glass of lassi would be refreshing. In the shop I noticed that the fan was on, but turned away from both customers and the owner. I was curious and asked why it was so. The owner glared at me and said: 'Can't you see?' I looked. The fan was pointed in the direction of a poster of our great leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. I shouted, 'Pakistan Zindabad!' and left without the lassi. In front of a shop, a man ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

His last years were beset with financial troubles; he drank heavily; he wrote to Chughtai on more than one occasion, pleading with her to find a way for him to come back to India. She was surprised to learn that far from large protests and signed declarations on his behalf, many in Pakistan felt he deserved to be punished. He died on January 18, 1955 in Lahore at the age of forty two. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

A man remains a man no matter how poor his conduct. A woman, even if she were to deviate for one instance, from the role given to her by men, is branded a whore. She is viewed with lust and contempt. Society closes on her doors it leaves ajar for a man stained by the same ink. If both are equal, why are our barbs reserved for the woman? ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

I'm interested in things women do that aren't spoken about. Manto's stories let me breathe. They make me feel like less of a monster. ~ Mohsin Hamid

Here in Manto's own words that he wanted to mark his grave with:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie buried all the secrets and mysteries of the art of short-story writing ...
Under tons of earth he lies, still wondering who among the two is greater short-story writer: God or He. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

War has brought inflation even to the graveyard. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Some people kiss as if they were eating watermelon ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Allah sends down natural disasters to control population explosion. He encourages us to go to war, He creates Pakistan and Akhand Bharat. In doing this, He teaches humans new and innovative methods of birth control. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Hindustan had become free. Pakistan had become independent soon after its inception but man was still slave in both these countries
slave of prejudice ... slave of religious fanaticism ... slave of barbarity and inhumanity. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

He ate off dirty plates and was unfazed. His pillowcase was soiled and stank, but he never thought of changing it. Hamid thought long and hard, but he couldn't understand him. He often asked, 'Babuji, why aren't you revolted by dirtiness? ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

Engulfed by a sudden emptiness, she was reminded of a train which after discharging passengers at various stations, has finally come to rest, empty at a railway shed. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

And it is also possible, that Saadat Hasan dies, but Manto remains alive. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

When Hamid dropped Lata off at her house at nine that night, he felt hollow. The touch of her soft body was sheared from him like bark from a tree, and he spent the entire night tossing and turning. ~ Saadat Hasan Manto

To Hear What Silence Is Saying, You Must Have Inner Peace. A Violent Mind Can't Understand It ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

In Life, What Would Be Best For You, You Know It Best ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

'Shantaram' is fantastic. An Australian prisoner escapes & joins the mafia in India? Sign me up. I love stuff that is based on true stories. ~ Hasan Minhaj

Cemetery of al-Baqi in Medina, they utterly destroyed the tombs of the Imams Hasan, Ali ibn Husayn, Muhammed ibn Ali, and Jafar, as well as the tomb of Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad. In Mecca, they destroyed the Cemetery of Mualla, where the ancestors of Muhammad and his first wife Khadija were buried. These prominent destructions were part of a pattern of violence that witnessed the Wahhabi Saudis smash buildings, tombs and mosques associated with the history of the Prophet and his family and which were venerated by Shia. ~ Jesse Harasta

Always Believe In Yourself ... If You're Down And Broken For A Reason, Rise Up And Focus ... Remember Strong Lightning Only Happens When Two Heavy Clouds Collide & Crack Each Other ... You Are That Lightning Which Is The Product of The Clash Between Your Purpose & Failure ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

There were moments, Hasan, when I like to think that the stars are bullet-holes. For every bullet shot by an oppressor there springs to life a star, with so great a radiance that it can never be put out, it can never be imprisoned. But if that really were true, the last three months in this city would have erased every trace of blackness from the sky. ~ Kamila Shamsie

SHE Is A Wonderful Romantic Poem With Billions of Lines. Even If I Could, I Wouldn't Finish Reading HER In My Entire Life ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

We (the ANC government) have no plans to introduce the wholesale administration of these drugs in the public sector. ARVs are not a cure for Aids. ~ Manto Tshabalala-Msimang

A merchant, then," Nicholas clarified.
Hasan nodded, his smile slightly crooked with the swelling on his face. "It is natural. Abbi brought me many books, taught me many languages. English, Turkish, French, Greek. So you see, I cannot travel in your way, but he has helped me to go far on my own feet. ~ Alexandra Bracken

SMILE Is Not Just A Word ... It Means A Lot, Love, Trust, Warmth, Tenderness Etc, In Fact It Means WORLD ... So SMILE ALWAYS ... That Means, YOU Are Giving A WORLD To SOMEONE ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

I am astonished about those people who are ordered to prepare their provisions, then the start of the journey is announced, however they remain unmindful in their vain discussions and fruitless deeds. ~ Hasan Of Basra

Despite the barrage of information about me that is publicly available, I live a surprisingly private and anonymous life. ~ Hasan M. Elahi

Don't text me while I'm in the middle of texting you! Now I have to change everything I wrote!" -Hasan Tutar ~ Hasan

Be Happy & Appreciate Every Little Thing You Have/Get Because When You Get The Big Thing, The Happiness Would Be Unbound ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

Im dying everyday
My breakfast are cigarettes and coffee
My lunch is depression
My snacks are regrets
My dinner are memories and anger
My night is non stoping tears
Sleep is my death
Waking up the next day and here we go again dying everyday ~ Ali Hassan Hasan

Etta?" Nicholas's face floated in front of hers.
"I'm okay," she promised. "Just ... "
Hasan's face transformed, sharpening. "Who are you to be so familiar with my little niece? Remove your hands before I do."
"Familiar?" she repeated, just as Nicholas's grip tightened and he said, "Her husband."
Etta choked. ~ Alexandra Bracken

But, Hasan, you have to be brave, and the courage to do what's right has to be greater than your fear of getting hurt. ~ Hasan Minhaj

A Gem Is Always A Gem. It'll Shine Bright Like Always Even If You Put It In Charcoal. You Just Need To Open Your Eyes & Heart To Find Them In Human ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

Before we move on, let me clarify that there is a fundamental difference between what we do and how predictable we are. When it comes to things we do-like the distances we travel, the number of e-mails we send, or the number of calls we make-we encounter power laws, which means that some individuals are significantly more active than others. They send more messages; they travel farther. This also means that out-liers are normal-we expect to have a few individuals, like Hasan, who cover hundreds or even thousands of miles on a regular basis.

But when it comes to the predictability of our actions, to our surprise power laws are replaced by Gaussians. This means that whether you limit your life to a two-mile neighborhood or drive dozens of miles each day, take a fast train to work or even commute via airplane, you are just as predictable as everyone else. And once Gaussians dominate the problem, outliers are forbidden, just as bursts are never found in Poisson's dice-driven universe. Or two-mile-tall folks ambling down the street are unheard of. Despite the many differences between us, when it came to our whereabouts we are all equally predictable, and the unforgiving law of statistics forbids the existence of individuals who somehow buck this trend. ~ Albert Laszlo Barabasi

As the people of Ein Hod were marched into despossession, Moshe and his comrades guarded and looted the newly emptied village. While Dalia lay heartbroken, delirious with the loss of Ismael, Jolanta rocked David to sleep. While Hasan tended to his family's survival, Moshe sang in drunken revelry with his fellow soldiers. And while Yehya and the others moved in anguished steps away from their land, the usurpers sand "Hatikva," and shouted, "Long live Israel! ~ Susan Abulhawa

Big Brother doesn't like all these Little Brothers looking at it. ~ Hasan M. Elahi

To this day, I get very nervous coming back into my own country. ~ Hasan M. Elahi

How do you manage your online identity? It's something I talk about with my students all the time. ~ Hasan M. Elahi

Never accept the role of a Gladiator if you do not have the spirit of a Warrior. ~ A.K. Hasan

To Be Happy, You Only Need To Understand Your Mind ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

Your life in every way should become a beacon of guidance and it should become a means for Dawah. ~ Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi

How do we know when someone like Hasan is going to make his move and do we know he's an Islamist until he's made his move? He makes a phone call or whatever, according to Reuters right now. Apparently he tried to contact al-Qaida. Is that the point at which you say, "This guy is dangerous?" That's not a crime to call up al-Qaida, is it? Is it? I mean, where do you stop the guy? ~ Chris Matthews

Never Give Up, Just Follow Your Dreams ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

A month passed in silence and then came an email asking if Qayennat would care to further amend, fortify or prune various sections of her proposal; Like all communication for them so far, this was well written and polite but abhorrent in its covert attempt to stamp out anything like love, to turn passion into hot air. She wanted to tell them as much, inviting them to take their stuffy foundation and stuff it up their backside ~ Anjum Hasan

Beetroot, garlic, lemon ... and buy a bottle of olive oil. All these things are very critical. ~ Manto Tshabalala-Msimang

So, Don't Mix Up Your Way To Write Your Life Story With Others, Then Definitely It Won't Sell. You Only Know What You're Encountering In Every Single Step. Everyone's Shoes Won't Fit In Your Feet ... ~ Muhammad Imran Hasan

Hasan Pasha also gave the green light for Turks and Greeks to take whatever action they pleased against any Albanians they found: killing them was not a crime. Continuing his march, he executed all the Albanians he encountered, setting fire to a monastery where other were hiding and offering five sequins for every Albanian head brought him. ~ Mark Mazower

The traditional Hollywood system is pretty rigid, but the film scene in, say, South Africa is booming with a lot of possibilities. If you have the cameras and reasonable capital, you can put your film in theatres next to 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' A great example of that was Kagiso Lediga's film 'Blitz Patrole.' ~ Hasan Minhaj

The strongest man is the one who, when he gets angry and his face reddens and his hackles rise, is able to defeat his anger.
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/367, and classified as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami', 3859) ~ Anonymous

I've learned to start from a really sound argument, boil down the essence of what you're trying to say, then build your humor around that, rather than starting with, 'This sounds funny,' and going from there. ~ Hasan Minhaj

It's really weird watching the government watch me. ~ Hasan M. Elahi

You are nothing but a number of days, and whenever a day passes away, a part of you passes away ~ Al-Hasan Al-Basri

As you know not all sleep is the same. It has different phases. It's shallow and then it's deep, it curves and goes down tunnels and staircases and wells. Sometimes it's so thick as to carry you off this Earth, sometimes it holds you underneath a veil as thin as muslin. When sleep's that thin, some things can pierce it. A sharp-edged memory, for example. Or sharp words that are still bothering us, or a thought that's settled outside our minds, in our limbs, or a feeling that's done the same, or something in our midst that we haven't even noticed - things like these can pierce our sleep. ~ Hasan Ali Toptas