Randa Quotes & Sayings

For me, religious festivals and celebrations have become an important way to teach my children about how we can transform living with diversity from the superficial 'I eat ethnic food', to something dignified, mutually respectful and worthwhile. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Everything is relative. If you want to understand a problem you look at its cause. You don't look at its manifestation. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I've gone for long stretches without working. I remember many times peeking into my checkbook to see if any money was left. — Randa Haines

You? Nervous? Man, you've got more balls than any girl I've ever known!'
'You've known some weird girls, then, I say, raising an eyebrow at him. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I wasn't rebellious. Other friends had far stricter parents and where there wasn't a relationship of respect and communication, they were usually the opposite; kids go to the other extreme. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Of course, it was impossible, in this company, not to think about balances of power. Raffin and Bann glanced at each other now and then, sharing silent agreement, teasing each other, or just resting their eyes on each other, as if each man was a comfortable resting place for the other. Prince Raffin, heir to the Middluns throne; Bann, who had no title, no fortune. How she longed to ask them questions that were too nosy for asking, even by her standards. How did they balance money matters? How did they make decisions? How did Bann cope with the expectation that Raffin marry and produce heirs? If Randa knew the truth about his son, would Bann be in danger? Did Bann ever resent Raffin's wealth and importance? What was the balance of power in their bed? — Kristin Cashore

I've been writing stories since I was a kid. I love writing stories. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

She couldn't steal herself back from Randa only to give herself away again - belong to another person, be answerable to another person, build her very being around another person. — Kristin Cashore

We are, at almost every point of our day, immersed in cultural diversity: faces, clothes, smells, attitudes, values, traditions, behaviours, beliefs, rituals. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Don't limit yourself and don't let anyone put a limit on your potential. — Randa Markos

To the Muslim woman, the hijab provides a sense of empowerment. It is a personal decision to dress modestly according to the command of a genderless Creator; to assert pride in self, and embrace one's faith openly, with independence and courageous conviction. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I'm starting to realize that being born into this social world is a little like being born into clean air. You take it in as soon as you breathe, and pretty soon you don't even realize that while you can walk around with clear lungs, other people are wearing oxygen masks just to survive. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Mr. Taylor has this habit of emphasizing his point by using three adjectives or verbs in a row. 'Class, you must know,' Simon begins [imitating] in a droning voice, flinging her arms around at every syllable, 'that should you fail to understand, to comprehend, to FEEL the power of the Constitution's words you will lose, forfeit, SURRENDER your ability to master the meaning of this most important document. You must read with an open mind in order to nurture, care for, and FOSTER your citizenship. Do I make myself clear, succinct, and COMPREHENSIBLE? — Randa Abdel-Fattah

What's the good of being true to your religion on the outside, if you don't change what's on the inside,were it really counts ? — Randa Abdel-Fattah

A doctor is not a mechanic. A car doesn't react with a mechanic, but a human being does. — Randa Haines

Belief means nothing without actions — Randa Abdel-Fattah

THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER
1. Make Father Mickey lose his black Irish temper.
2. Wear a turtleneck, take in a deep breath and get strangled.
3. Mary Lane takes the picture.
4. Practice getting away.
5. Sally puts the pedal to the metal.
6. Randa Rhonda Rendezvous — Lesley Kagen

Religious celebrations, and the good will, high spirits and generosity that mark them, are wonderful occasions for understanding the potential of 'everyday multiculturalism', and how people from diverse faiths can connect and show they care, rather than go down parallel, sometimes hostile, roads. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I do most of my reading on the train ride to and from work. But I always have a book in my handbag so that I can read at any time, anywhere. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

A barrier for me - which has been both a strength and a weakness - has been my taste. The kind of things I'm interested in aren't always mainstream. — Randa Haines

As a director, you're looking for ways to tell the story with the whole image and not primarily dialogue. — Randa Haines

Your perception is riveting, Amal," he says in a bored and sarcastic tone, dropping the note down on my desk. "It's comforting to know that there are people in my class who have the maturity and intelligence to make derogatory comments about other people's external appearances."
Now what am I supposed to say to that?
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
Friggin' mind reader. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Yeah, don't you take a break?'
'I don't have time for breaks.'
'That's the whole point of a break. When you've got no time, you need a break. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Are you still doing that crap?" I ask.
"You can't even do it properly," Eileen says.
"Just a matter of practice," Simone says.
"Wow! Practicing how to poison yourself and make your breath reek like the fart of a seagull!" Eileen cries. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Well aren't you a prick." If a prick turns down a girl that's been pounded more times than a basketball court, then by all means, call me a prick. I — Randa Lynn

In a multicultural, diverse society there are countless ways in which people negotiate the everyday lived experience and reality of diversity. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

It seems Palestinians can't win. The language of peace negotiations has always been predicated on a representation that Palestinians are violent and that is why Israel behaves as it does. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

It is time Australian Muslims stop being treated as negotiable citizens in their own country. It is time people stop 'tolerating' us, presuming some right to decide if we have a place in our own home. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Spirituality is deeply personal. Yet, society has to face the fact that certain faiths celebrate spirituality through an overt expression of inner convictions. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

The one-eyed is always beauty in the land of the blind. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

If I like a book, I tend to read the author's entire collection. But I choose mainly through personal recommendations, general word of mouth and book reviews. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I like to look at 'A Place in the Sun' every now and get inspired by it. — Randa Haines

You should take notes whenever you hear interesting or original language. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

If you and I had a relationship, and I like to dance and you don't, will that affect our relationship? If I push you and push you, maybe you'll learn to dance, but more likely, that will move you away from me. — Randa Haines

I just don't know what I'd do without a brain, Simone!" I say. "I mean, what's a person without one? — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Sometimes it's easy to lose faith in people. And sometimes one act of kindness is all it takes to give you hope again. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

When it comes to the hijab - why to wear it, whether to wear it, how to wear it - there is theology and then there is practice, and there is huge diversity in both. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Parents. Honestly. Sometimes they really do think the world revolves around them. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

To adapt a play into a movie, you have to change it. — Randa Haines

It's very scary to turn things down, but a project has to really mean something to me. I'm not interested in making a lot of money. — Randa Haines

I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I sell?' I love the creativity of it. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I do know that detachment is important. A surgeon can't be weeping into the open wound. — Randa Haines

I want to be with one person in my life. I want to know that the guy I spend the rest of my life with is the first person I share something so intimate and exciting with. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Most Muslim women know it is fear and curiosity that cause people to stare. They know it is ignorance and stereotypes that cause people to suppose that a piece of material covering the hair strips a woman of the ability to speak English, pursue a career, work a remote control. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

That's why when Peter started talking to me in homeroom this morning, i soaked up his attention like a doughnut dipped in coffee. The fact that his comments have left me soggy and wilted doesn't matter. That's the price you pay when you withdraw to the safety of anonymity — Randa Abdel-Fattah

My family are observant Muslims, but I've come to the faith through an intellectual conviction, and that's something that they've taught me. It's never been forced upon me. They've given me a very strong identity as an Australian Muslim. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

That's when this warm feeling buzzes through you and you smile to yourself, knowing God's watching you, knowing that He knows you're trying to be strong to please Him. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

She couldn't have him, and there was no mistaking it. She could never be his wife. She could not steal herself back from Randa only to give herself away again- belong to another person, be answerable to another person, build her very being around another person. No matter how she loved him. — Kristin Cashore

One of the first serious attempts I made to write a novel was when I was in Grade 6 and I had read 'Matilda.' I wrote my own version and my teacher had it bound and permitted me to read it to the class - cementing my love of reading, writing and Roald Dahl! — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Once upon a time, a fisherman went out to sea. He caught many fish and threw them all into a large bucket on his boat. The fish were not yet dead, so the man decided to ease their suffering by killing them swiftly. While he worked, the cold air made his eyes water. One of the wounded fish saw this and said to the other: "What a kind heart this fisherman has- see how he cries for us." The other fish replied: "Ignore his tears and watch what he is doing with his hands. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Yes, Simone, he is mentally unstable for being attracted to you. call the men in white suits. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

There are stories I'd like to tell, I'd like to see, and they're not getting made. These stories are beyond the experience of the people in power. They don't understand it, so they're frightened of it. — Randa Haines

We have to choices in this world; we either try to survive or to give up. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Life isn't like the movies. People don't change overnight. people don't go from arrogant and self-righteous to ashamed and remorseful. They don't suddenly give in when they've spent years taking out. No doesn't magically become a Yes. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I would love to do a film with a lot of humor in it: a comedy with pain instead of a painful film with some comedy. — Randa Haines

With my human rights advocacy, that's always been through my writing. I've always tried to write articles and contribute to journals and a lot of online journals - about human rights, especially Palestinian human rights. I find the time to do things to do things I'm passionate about, because I find enjoyment in them. I just have to juggle. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Death, Randa thought, elevated people. — Kelly Braffet

A woman's body is her body and what she wears or does not wear is her choice. Get over it and move on. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

And it's when I'm standing there this morning, in my PJs and a hijab, next to my mum and my dad, kneeling before God, that I feel a strange sense of calm. I feel like nothing can hurt me, and nothing else matters. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Very well, let's see. I'm very sympathetic about your having left Raffin. I think you're brave to have defied Randa as you did with that Ellis fellow; I don't know if I could've gone through with it. I think you have more energy than anyone I've ever encountered, though I wonder if you aren't a bit hard on your horse. I find myself wondering why you haven't wanted to marry Giddon, and if it's because you've intended to marry Raffin, and if so, whether you're even more unhappy to have left him than I realized. I'm very pleased you've come with me. I'd like to see you defend yourself for real, fight someone to the death, for it would be a thrilling sight. I think my mother would take to you. My brothers, of course, would worship you. I think you're the most quarrelsome person I've ever met. And I really do worry about your horse. — Kristin Cashore

The easiest way for readers to connect with characters and feel sympathy is to make the character entertaining, sympathetic and likeable. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Follow your dreams, don't let anybody hold you back. — Randa Markos

Too many people look at it as though it (the hijab) has bizarre powers sewn into its microfibers. Powers that transform Muslim girls into UCOs (Unidentified Covered Objects), which turn Muslim girls from an 'us' to a 'them. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

Normal. She wasn't normal. A girl Graced with killing, a royal thug? A girl who didn't want the husbands Randa pushed on her, perfectly handsome and thoughtful men, a girl who panicked at the thought of a baby at her breast, or clinging to her ankles. — Kristin Cashore

When you exist in the centre of a debate, as a topic, a hypothesis - otherised and stigmatised - you become the prop in a proposition. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

It's like one of those scenes from a feel-good Hollywood movie. Where everybody is happy and nobody's hair fizzes in the wind. Where it doesn't rain, your shoes stay comfortable all day, and everybody's jokes are funny. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

But persistent name calling? that prolongs hurt. It stretches out. Each nasty word stretches the rubber band further away until finally, one day, it snaps back at you with maximum impact — Randa Abdel-Fattah

True friends are those who love you not in spite of your faults and imperfections, but because of them. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

There is more to this hijab than the whole modesty thing. These girls are strangers to me but I know that we all felt an amazing connection, a sense that this cloth binds us in some kind of universal sisterhood. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

You never feel good when you lie. It doesn't matter how much you want something, if you lie to somebody you love, and they actually, sincerely believe you, you feel like a cockroach that needs some serious Raid action. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

The hijab, or sikh turban, or Jewish skullcap are all explicit symbols, but they do not represent a threat or affront to others, and have no bearing on the competence, skills and intelligence of a person. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

It was hard to follow my dreams ... I didn't let anything stop me. — Randa Markos

Because I had a lot of emotional upheaval in my life, I'm attracted to stories about characters whose lives are full of wounds and secrets. I'm not interested in who's going to ask me to the prom. I never went to a prom. — Randa Haines

I couldn't stop bawling, watching the towers come down. it was a terrible thing to happen. And a terrible thing to realize that I don't sit though the nigh crying when such horrors happen all the time. — Randa Abdel-Fattah

I'm always drawn to stories about characters who are somewhat isolated inside themselves by their inability to communicate in some way. That's what interested me about 'Children of a Lesser God.' — Randa Haines