Laila Lalami

The universe had an odd sense of fairness; it took away things one did not want to give up, and then gave things one did not ask for.

Unfounded gossip can turn into sanctioned history if falls into the hands of the right storyteller.

Telling a story is like sowing a seed__ou always hope to see it become a beautiful tree, with firm roots and branches that soar up in the sky. But it is a peculiar sowing, for you will never know whether your seed sprouts or dies.

His anger took many shapes: sometimes soft and familiar, like a round stone he had caressed for so long that is was perfectly smooth and polished; sometimes it was thin and sharp like a blade that could slice through anything; sometimes it had the form of a star, radiating his hatred in all directions, leaving him numb and empty inside.