We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir
Samra Habib
Top 10 Best Quotes
“Grown-ups, who are supposed to protect their children, are limited by what "best" has felt like to them, based on the circumstances they grew in and the privilege they did or did not have. The lines between grown-up and child were often blurred between me and my mom. Her "best" did not look like mine; in fact, it looked like danger. It felt like surrender.”
“As a woman in this world, it is important to take up space and make yourself heard even if it intimidates and offends powerful men.”
“Our understanding of the interior lives of those who are not like us is contingent on their ability to articulate themselves in the language we know. The further removed people are from proficiency in that language, the less likely they are to be understood as complex individuals. The audience often fills in the blanks with their own preconceptions. But visual language is more easily parsed and a much more democratic form of communication.”
“It helps to find solace in the larger universe, especially when your internal world isn't hospitable.”
“Not everyone is equipped for activism in the traditional sense—marching, writing letters to officials—but dedicating your life to understanding yourself can be its own form of protest, especially when the world tells you that you don't exist.”
“It's no wonder I was so fascinated. The kind of home I imagine--one that offers stability and encouragement and the space to learn and grow as an individual--is a luxury I never had growing up.”
“The joy of discovery is one of the biggest pleasures you'll ever know.”
“Representation is a critical way for people to recognize that their experiences—even if invisible in the mainstream—are valid.”
“Closure, for me, would mean accepting my circumstances rather than trying to alter them to serve me best.”
“Our understanding of the interior lives of those who are not like us is contingent on their ability to articulate themselves in the language we know.”
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Book Keywords:
memoir, knowledge, learning, lgbt, queer, pakistan, self-discovery, self-improvement, closure, home, protest, self-worth, languageage, muslim
