Waris Quotes & Sayings

When you give life to an idea it becomes an event. — Rehan Waris

I feel that God made my body perfect the way I was born. Then man robbed me, took away my power, and left me a cripple. My womanhood was stolen. If God had wanted those body parts missing, why did he create them?
I just pray that one day no woman will have to experience this pain. It will become a thing of the past. People will say "Did you hear, female genital mutilation has been outlawed in Somalia?" Then the next country, and the next, and so on, until the world is safe for all women. What a happy day that will be, and that's what I'm working toward. In'shallah, if God is willing, it will happen. — Waris Dirie

I belong nowhere and to no one. — Waris Dirie

How can you respect a religion that forces women into polygamous marriages, mutilates their genitals, forbids them to drive cars and subjects them to the humiliation of 'instant' divorce? In fact, none of these practices are Islamic at all. Anyone wishing to understand Islam must first separate the religion from the cultural norms and style of a society. — Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

I worked as President of House of Waris for a year and a half, and Waris is one of my favorite people. He is not only a talented designer but also a warm and genuine person and a pleasure to work with. — Aslaug Magnusdottir

Laws are important. But they can only be effective if the people know about the particular laws. — Waris Dirie

I didn't choose acting. The universe did. — Waris Ahluwalia

My mother named me after a miracle of nature: Waris means desert flower. The desert flower blooms in a barren environment where few living things can survive. — Waris Dirie

I primarily live in New York City, a place that is about constants, not letting up and not stopping. — Waris Ahluwalia

Fashion is fun, ridiculously fun. But it's base and it's wrong. You're not doing anything good for the world. You're just saying, 'Buy it, buy it, buy it.' — Waris Dirie

Female genital mutilation targets little girls, baby girls - fragile angels who are helpless, who cannot fight back. It's a crime against a child, a crime against humanity. It's abuse. It's absolutely criminal and we have to stop it. — Waris Dirie

People who know me know that there's a light-hearted side, humour ... But you could easily say I am cheeky. — Waris Ahluwalia

I can enjoy anywhere, and I can leave it. Life is about moving on. — Waris Dirie

This moment of dawning is called taqwa - God-consciousness, and ihsan - awareness. Suddenly you know that God can see you and knows you, even if you do not know or see Him. — Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

Don't do to your daughters what has been done to you! They are perfect and beautiful. — Waris Dirie

I spent the first five years of my life in Punjab, India, and then moved to New York. — Waris Ahluwalia

I'm a Sikh; it's part of my religious tradition to never cut my hair and keep it wrapped in a turban. — Waris Ahluwalia

I love driving in the city at night. — Waris Ahluwalia

I still do find it very difficult in the West to connect to this politeness of smiling, not saying how you're thinking or not saying how you really feel. — Waris Dirie

I'm not super-patriotic, but the U.S. is where I live, and it's the passport that I carry. — Waris Ahluwalia

I love my passport. I plan trips very last minute, so I always carry it with me. — Waris Ahluwalia

I don't drink coffee. — Waris Ahluwalia

I got no hate in me. — Waris Ahluwalia

I create with my heart, so life and work inevitably intersect all too often. — Waris Ahluwalia

Each empty seat in the auditorium, is the probability of what you should have done and not done. — Rehan Waris

I like the pause that tea allows. — Waris Ahluwalia

I love anything to do with history. — Waris Ahluwalia

If people want to think I'm an Indian prince, I don't want to dispel that notion. — Waris Ahluwalia

I made two rings for myself, and when I was in Los Angeles, I walked into a store called Maxfields, and they essentially bought them off my hands. — Waris Ahluwalia

My inspiration is love and history. — Waris Ahluwalia

Multilevel multitasking multiplied multiple times is Event Management. — Rehan Waris

Someone gives jewelry, and there's a bit of romance. If you buy it from a store, the store is trying to romance you. Even when I'm making the jewelry, I have to be romanced. — Waris Ahluwalia

You don't have to become Mother Teresa to make an impact in the world. But nothing can be achieved if, at the very least, we are not talking about it. — Waris Ahluwalia

I don't know what a supermodel is. If they call me that, I might have to punch them. It's just so vain and so unreal. — Waris Dirie

I love the truth. Tell the truth and live the truth, because we've seen enough lies and look what it's doing. — Waris Dirie

If you can survive in the desert, you survive anywhere. I know more than anything life in desert. You can tell by looking at the dirt how long ago it rained, how hard it rained, how much water came through. You can by looking at a plant, a tree, from an animal's look. I can read the desert like I read my hand. — Waris Dirie

I like there to be some interest in every element of my life. — Waris Ahluwalia

I'm surprised as anyone about where I've ended up. Maybe it's because I say yes to things. — Waris Ahluwalia

I like having a tailor everywhere because I am everywhere. — Waris Ahluwalia

There's more to me than fashion. I just don't want to be seen as fashion. — Waris Ahluwalia

Every day, women move mountains. It is an insult to have an international women's day. — Waris Dirie

I'm an American searching for some sort of parameters, a way of life - I'm looking for a slight formality, for a place where you can never be overdressed. — Waris Ahluwalia

I have always had a sense of curiosity and aspiration. — Waris Ahluwalia

I love life. I wish I could live another 500 years, truly. There is so much to do. I don't feel bitter or angry or disappointed. If anything, I am very grateful for where I come from. I have absolutely no regrets. — Waris Dirie

I work with gold that holds history, diamonds that see the future, and rubies that long for love. — Waris Ahluwalia

I have so many friends and obligations, and I want to go out and support people. But we eat at home. — Waris Ahluwalia

My go-to jeans are a straight, narrow cut from A.P.C. or BLK DNM. — Waris Ahluwalia

I take my work seriously, but I don't necessarily take myself seriously. — Waris Ahluwalia

Personal style? I don't really believe in that. Whatever is comfortable. — Waris Dirie

I'm an explorer. — Waris Ahluwalia

Many friends have expressed concern that a religious fanatic will try to kill me when I go to Africa. After all, I'll be speaking out against a crime many fundamentalists consider a holy practice. I'm sure my work will be dangerous, and I admit to being scared ... . But my faith tells me to be strong, that God led me down this path for a reason. He has work for me to do. This is my mission. And I believe that long before the day I was born, God chose the day I will die, so I can't change that. In the meantime, I might as well take a chance, because that's what I've done all my life. — Waris Dirie

My first workshop was in Rome, and that was the start of House of Waris. In a little magical atelier, a goldsmith, his apprentice, his stone setter - and that was where it began. — Waris Ahluwalia

I travel a lot, and I hunt for fabrics, then I have the tailor make me something. — Waris Ahluwalia

I went through different styles but realized Ray-Bans are the classics. You can't go wrong with them. I explore and cheat on them occasionally, but I always go back to the aviators. — Waris Ahluwalia

I don't think men get enough flowers. A deeper pink or red peonies are my favorite. But I'll take anything, really. — Waris Ahluwalia

I always like a good song: puts me in a good mood. — Waris Ahluwalia

My inspiration is always love and history, and my passion to a fault is craftsmanship and responsibility. Those are the simplest things. It goes beyond jewelry. It's every part of my life. — Waris Ahluwalia

One of my favourite activities is eating. — Waris Ahluwalia

I've never been one to stay still. I was born a nomad, and I still am a nomad and always will be. — Waris Dirie

My mission in life is to preserve craftsmanship. — Waris Ahluwalia

I think the reason for my fascination with craft is what it represents, what it means in our culture, what it means in our history and in humanity. It was the idea that you could go to your butcher to get something, you could go to your tailor to get this, and you could go to your cobbler to get that. — Waris Ahluwalia

I won't do anything unless it's the absolute best. — Waris Ahluwalia

I need my fill of Indian home cooking. — Waris Ahluwalia

Mama tied a blindfold over my eyes. The next thing I felt my flesh was being cut away. I heard the blade sawing back and forth through my skin. The pain between my legs was so intense I wished I would die. — Waris Dirie

It took me a while to find myself. — Waris Ahluwalia

Hold the door for a lady. Wait until a lady is out of the elevator. — Waris Ahluwalia

Sometimes I wonder where I am from. I am either way ahead or I come from another world. I don't recognise this world. — Waris Dirie

Supporting causes with whatever we do can be effective. — Waris Ahluwalia

I wouldn't know how to think inside the box because I don't even know where it is. I wouldn't know how to do it any other way. — Waris Ahluwalia

Amongst many qualities of a true leader, he is a successful manager who has mastered the art of people management. — Rehan Waris

If you want an out-of-the-box event, you need to bring the idea out of the box. — Rehan Waris

'Life Aquatic' was the first movie I did, and it's been an incredible adventure since then. — Waris Ahluwalia

Women's loyalty has to be earned with trust and affection, rather than barbaric rituals. The time has come to leave the old ways of suffering behind — Waris Dirie

My friends are a huge part of my inspiration. — Waris Ahluwalia

My job is to put myself out there. It's beyond my control how I'm perceived. — Waris Ahluwalia

I'm a traditionalist with suits. It doesn't need extra pockets, and I don't want headphone jacks in my jacket. I appreciate designers who do different things, but for me, the most basic version of that item is what I want. — Waris Ahluwalia

People think they have to give up things to make a difference to the world, but you don't have to. — Waris Ahluwalia

FGM breaches all human rights and has no place in any 21st century society. — Waris Dirie

I do believe in standing for something more than just a product. — Waris Ahluwalia

I work with gold that holds our past and diamonds that see the future and rubies that long for love. It's just a way of telling a story. — Waris Ahluwalia

I am less comfortable saying I am a jeweller and more comfortable saying I am a story teller. — Waris Ahluwalia

Because women and girls are not valued equally as human beings, they are treated as less than such. Female genital mutilation is one example of this that has to be stopped. — Waris Dirie

I just want to create, and socializing is part of the experience. It might sound crazy, but I don't see myself in the jewelry business. It's an experience. — Waris Ahluwalia

I do things because I enjoy it. That used to be my downfall, but now it's the upside. — Waris Ahluwalia

I'm driven by history and our past. That's why I work in gold. It's in your veins. We've been lusting after gold since the beginning of time. God, glory, and gold. — Waris Ahluwalia