Ahmad Ardalan > Quotes

“I believe in Love, and I know love conquers all.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“Sometimes in life, a sudden situation, a moment in time, alters your whole life, forever changes the road ahead.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

“You asked if I loved her?
I can't even whisper her name, my heart would burst out of my chest.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

“With every try, I Know I am closer!”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“Do not wait for the tide to take you, my boy. Instead, you take on the tide”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“Love and peace are not just words, they are a way of life. And in an honest living, love will always conquer.”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“Never shy away from telling those you love
how you feel about them.You will never know
if you will have another chance...”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“I hoped that moment in time would never end, but as time goes, it unfortunately did”
― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

“Two people, one city, different times; connected by a memoir. Can love exist in a city destined for decades of misery?”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in love, and I know love conquers all.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“Those drawn eyes are the gates to whom my soul holds the keys of interpretation.”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“An hour later. the moon reflected its light on the Tigris as well. The sun, the moon, and Fatima. What else could I ask for?”
― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

“it’s not about what direction you should take. It’s about choosing one direction and working to move forward on that path, no matter what.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“I only remember those eyes”
― Ahmad Ardalan, Baghdad: The Final Gathering

“Memories weigh more than mountains
if you are in them”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“Like every other man who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the old man carried “Haji” before his first name, very common in Iraq. The rest of his name indicated that he was the father of his eldest child: Abu Ahmad literally translated to “Ahmad’s father.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“Most of the people back home had forgotten our origins. They had forgotten the achievements we had made throughout history and how we’d suffered under different occupations for centuries. I was heartbroken that our people were plotting against one another, individuals and groups trying to gain power, fame, and fortune instead of uniting for one cause, to help our nation rise up again to its rightful place in the world.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“Why do you paint, Akram?” I asked. “What—”

“Close your eyes, Sebastian,” he said, stopping me. “Just for a minute, close them and tell me what you see.”

I did as he asked and answered, “Nothing, just black.”

He tilted my head a bit to the west. “Open them now and find the blessing of vision. This abundance, the explosion, the mixture of colors, the movement, life passing by… See the sun setting? What colors can you find in the sea? Surely there are blue and gray, but don’t you also see that darker gray, light green, even black? Look at the hues of the sun drowning in the sea, melting in oranges, reds, purples. Look at those trees over there. Look at the waves, at me, at your hands, the eyes of your friends. Now, must you still ask me why I paint?” Akram replied. He then left me and walked to the tip of the yacht to enjoy the sunset and the breeze.

“Artists,” I mumbled to myself.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Art Collector of Le Marais

“Milano is a breeze of confidence for those that desire life”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“If you have any doubt about that, sir, perhaps you should consult the history books written by your own British historians, or maybe you can pay a visit to your British Museum, which finds Arab and Middle East history interesting and significant enough to boast its treasures to your people here.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“After staring at the ceiling for more than an hour, I was finally asleep, but I wasn’t in my dream.
I was walking and walking beside a small stream, and only stopped as I saw a big rounded tree. What made me stop was that the tree had leaves the size of a palm. Bigger then any size I had seen in my life.
I stepped under its shade looking closer at the magical tree and found that my name was carved at its big trunk.
I was still surprised and bewildered at my finding when I felt the tree shake and a leaf fell in front of me. I was about to pick it up when more and more leaves started to fall, Leaving
the tree with only half of the leaves. I tried my best to stop my tree from shaking when I woke up from my dream. I was breathing heavily. My heart was beating fast. I was soaked.

“My life, The leaves are falling one by one from my life.”
I said to myself, as I closed my eyes hoping for my life to find spring again.”
― Ahmad Ardalan

“When I got to the museum, I was stunned to discover what a great civilization Mesopotamia was, what a fascinating place I’d grown up in. There were sculptures from the Sumerian, Babylonian, and the Assyrian era, and some were amazingly intact. They were beautiful and absolutely mesmerizing, and I carefully examined every one and read all of the information about them. An hour earlier, I’d been enjoying the beauty of iconic structures in London, but the sculptures in that museum were thousands of years older and told me so much about my heritage and culture. The Lamassu, a winged bull with a human head, especially filled me with pride. It was such a magnificent structure, so delicately carved with great imagination and knowledge beyond our understanding.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad

“In Britain, I learned that class was not always exhibited by those perceived to be at its peak.”
― Ahmad Ardalan, The Gardener of Baghdad