17 Unforgettable Quotes from 'A Thousand Splendid Suns ' by Khaled Hosseini

This  Novel  'A Thousand Splendid Suns' has been very close to my heart and every time I see a quote or just a picture referencing this book, I feel nostalgic as if remembering some past or forgotten memory. This collection of quotes is just a homage to the unforgettable lines/ quotes from the book that has etched in my heart ever since I have read the book. I have organised the quotes according to the themes like suffering, endurance, education and love. 

Quotes on Endurance, Suffering and Perseverance

Just my imagination of how Kolba where mariam
spent her childhood would look like ..@pic credit Pinterest

Women are taught to endure. We are taught to silently endure injustice, pain and restrictions on the name of elegance, religion and culture. And it is harrowing that there is not one culture that respects women as women. It is as if god made men and then he wanted an addition like in movies to play a love interest or something so he created women. The book sees the world, the war and the Taliban through the eyes of two women. Here are the quotes in the book  which signifies endurance, perseverance and suffering:

"There is only one, only one skill a women like 

you and me needs in life....only one skill.
And it's this: tahamul. Endure."
 
-Nana to Mariam, Chapter-4

Nana says this to Mariam in the context of denying  her a formal education. When Mariam's Tutor, Mullah Faizullah, raises the idea of Mariam going to a proper school. Nana immediately rejects the idea emphasizing that the only essential skill for women like them is tahamul. Nana uses the 'women like them' words to reference the social status of  Mariam as 'Harami Child'.  She believes that an illegitimate child has no future especially when Mariam is  girl.

 "she remembered Nana saying once that "each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up into the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke silently on the people below.

- As a reminder of how women like us suffer she'd said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us "

 -Mariam remembers the quote, chapter-13

Sitting alone looking out the window, watching the snowfall, Mariam remembers Nana's quote, when she lost her child to miscarriage. She didn't only lose her child but with this child, she also lost the hope for a true connection with Rasheed (her husband) and a legitimate place in this world. The marriage turned abusive, cold & humiliating since she couldn't bear a child. This quote was placed by the author to universalise the women's suffering under patriarchy especially because in that moment Mariam needed to hear that she is not the only one suffering alone.  The line ' then broke silently on the people below' symbolises how women are culturally expected to bear their  pain, abuse & heartache  in silence. They are denied a public voice for their suffering, their grief is internal, widespread and quiet.

 

"Of all the hardships a person had to face, none 
was more punishing than the simple act of waiting."
 
-Laila's thoughts, chapter -18

 A week passed, but there was still no sign of Tariq. Then another week came and went. This quote reflects Laila's thoughts when Tariq was hospitalised due to severe injuries he sustained because of  a mortar shell. Due to ongoing war, they couldn't go out much frequently and there was no other way to contact the hospital, which caused Laila serious grief and anxiety about the unknown events that may or may not occur. 

 "...A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, 

her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her."

-Laila's thoughts, Chapter 47

 

Said by narrator reflecting Laila's thoughts when she visits Herat to the Kolba where Mariam Grew up. Laila realizes the hardships of Mariam's Life and her sacrifice at the end. This quote was tribute to the Mariam's quiet, enduring strength. The quote uses 'rock in the riverbed' to symbolise the Mariam's endurance to the  life which was full of turbulent tides and hardships just like the rock in the riverbed has to go through hardships due to the turbulent waves of the river yet it stays firmly in its place.  'Her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence', it symbolises that just like a rock that is shaped due to the friction of water on its surface, polishing it making it smoother and stronger. In the same way, Mariam's hardships did not break her spirit or corrupt the good in her, instead it dignified her character and the last act of sacrifice she made, it made her more graceful and full of compassion and love.

 Quotes on Patriarchy and Injustice

@pic credit- pinterest

One of the central themes of the book is Patriarchy and how it affects the people in the society. Patriarchy not just affects women but children and men as well in certain circumstances. When we read 'The Kite Runner ' we realise how patriarchy not only causes pain & violence to women but it also  inflicts violence upon the minority as well. These are the quotes in the book which highlight the misogyny of patriarchal system.

"Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam."

-Nana to Mariam, Chapter-1

 Nana Says this to Mariam more like a prophesises to Mariam in the ending of the chapter -1 in context to the false promises Jalil makes to the Mariam. Nana's bitterness is directed towards Jalil for impregnating her and then abandoning her to live in shame, while he, a man, was able to continue his life as is without any consequences. She uses ' Like a compass needle' to emphasize how historically women were always blamed in the society for any misfortune, failure or problem. It is automatic and almost inescapable rule that Mariam and women like her should suffer and endure in silence.

 "A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn’t like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed. It won’t stretch to make room for you."

- Nana to Mariam, Chapter-5

 Nana says this in order to dismantle the false illusion Mariam holds of her father as a loving person. Mariam often yearns for her father, Jalil khan and tries to defend him and find excuses for his absence and  neglect. While initially it does seem like Nana is just putting out her bitterness in regards to Jalil but it was heart-breaking to realise that everything Nana said about the patriarchy was true throughout the Mariam's life. 

 "Where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only. 

I want you to remember that."

- Rasheed to Mariam , Chapter -10

 Rasheed says this to Mariam while he brings Burqa for her to wear  whenever they were going out in Kabul. He launches into a rant against what he calls "modern women" especially mentioning the local schoolteacher, Hakim (Laila's father), for allowing his wife, Fariba, to walk around with only a scarf and sometimes even talk to male shopkeepers. Here, Rasheed is not expressing a protective affection, he is asserting his absolute ownership of Mariam. Her face, her body, and her modesty are his property and, crucially, tied to his "honour and pride" (nang and namoos). This moment was the beginning of the psychological and physical oppression, Mariam had to endure in the coming years of marriage especially after her child miscarriage.

 "What a man does in his home is his business."

-A Young police officer to Laila & Mariam, Chapter -36

 Tired of all the abuse inflicted upon them by Rasheed especially after Taliban took over, Mariam and Laila were running away but were caught by a fairly young and sympathetic police officer. They tried to explain to him that they were running away because of abuse and starvation that was inflicted upon them by Rasheed. The police officer dismisses their plea by saying that ' they can't interfere in family's private business'. This was a brutal line highlighting how in a patriarchal society , 'a women has no legal protection against her husband'.

 

Quotes on Friendship, hope and love

Mariam & Laila ..@pic credit pinterest

Not everything is black and white, there is always few moments into which we find comfort and Mariam's life too finally had found comfort in Laila and her children. Through Laila she could be mother again. With her she found companionship, a friendship that offered her respite in her rather tumultuous and unkind life.

 

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, 
Or  the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."

- Babi Quoting Saib-e-Tabrizi Poem, Chapter -26

 This is one of the most famous lines of the book , quoting these lines for Kabul, Babi was being nostalgic. The moment has finally come, when Kabul has becoming totally unliveable and seeing so many people already leaving the country, Babi and Fariba had to agree to leave as well. Babi references the 17th century poet Saib-e-Tabrizi to lament the loss of abandoning his beloved city and country.

 "I will follow you to the ends of the world."

- Tariq to Laila, Chapter - 21

This line was said by Tariq when he is leaving Kabul for Pakistan with his parents. The relentless shelling and destruction had made the inhabitants of the city fear for their life and  abandon this country for their own sake. Tariq says this to Laila to comfort her and assure her that this distance is temporary and this separation means nothing and won't change anything between them.

 "And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last."

- Mariam , Chapter -47

 This was the final thoughts after which Mariam was to be executed publicly according to the law of Taliban. As she waits her execution, she does a last reflection on her life that she was brought into this world as a harami, a weed  but now she is leaving here as someone's mother and someone's companion, her mother was wrong that she will never be loved because of her status. Her life which began in shame, isolation and humiliation, achieved it's true meaning through her friendship with Laila and her children, she had a purpose in life and she was not a weed. 

 

“And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin poisonous flowers began to sprout… Mariam uprooted them.”

- Mariam, Chapter-15

This passage describes Mariam's thoughts, after several years of marriage in which she only    endured   continuous   beatings,   miscarriages and humiliations, she was left completely hopeless for the things to change for the better. This quote encapsulates the emotional defence mechanism Mariam adopts to survive. She decides that the only way to endure her life of isolation and abuse is to eliminate all emotional expectation, to "uproot" any feelings of love or hope and to protect herself from further emotional pain; She embraces a stoic, detached resignation that lasts for years, until Laila's arrival slowly and begrudgingly begins to change her heart.

"Mariam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with 

the bursting radiance of a thousand suns."

- Laila, Chapter - 51

The scene takes place in Kabul, after Laila returned with Tariq and her children. They are living and working in Kabul in the post-Taliban era, dedicated to rebuilding the country and honouring Mariam's memory. She visits Herat and the kolba where Mariam had spent her childhood. While sitting in Kolba and reading the letter left behind by Jalil (Mariam's father), Laila was melancholic and she missed Mariam. It is then when she realised that Mariam is alive in her heart and she will always be.

Quotes on importance of Education and empowering women

Pic Credit @pinterest

Laila's father, a school teacher was a very progressive man, he supported and encouraged Laila for further education. This section is a collection of his thoughts:

 

"Marriage can wait, education cannot."

- Babi to Laila, Chapter-16

This is one of the most powerful line in the book which emphasizes on the importance of education for women. Laila's father was a school teacher and he strongly encouraged Laila's academic pursuits. This was Babi talking to young Laila telling her the importance of literacy for women.

 "Because a society has no chance of success if its
 women are uneducated, Laila. No chance."

-Babi to Laila, Chapter - 16

This was an extension to the previous quote 'Marriage can wait,  education cannot'. Babi explains why she needs to study especially when the war is raging in Kabul. Because  when a women is educated , they become capable mothers, they raise educated children and make wiser choices. On the other hand, when a women is denied education, an entire half of society's potential is wasted, ignorance and inequality  takes root. This quote in context of Afghanistan highlights how systematic suppression of women's education is not just an injustice towards women but also cripples a nation.

 "You see, some things I can teach you. Some you learn from books. But there are things that, well, you just have to see and feel."

-Babi to Laila, Chapter -21

 This Babi says to Laila when they visited Buddha statues of Bamiyan. He reflected on the vastness and cultural complexity of Kabul, He wanted to tell Laila that the Kabul is more than just wars and shelling and she can only learn this by experiencing the culture and history of their beloved city.

 "I know you’re still young but I want you to understand and learn this now… when this war is over Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men maybe even more.”

-Babi To Laila, Chapter-16

This quote again was continuation of the quote "Marriage can wait, Education Cannot". In this instance Talking to young Laila, Babi gives wings to her curiosity and encourages her towards her academic endeavours.

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