Abbas Kiarostami > Quotes

“کلاغ سیاه
با حیرت به خود می نگرد
در دشت پوشیده از برف”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“زندگی
تهمت ناروایی است
بر بینوایان”
― عباس کیارستمی, گرگی در کمین

“Autumn afternoon:
a sycamore leaf
falls softly
and rests
on its own shadow”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Walking with the Wind

“فکر ساده
درک کم
اندوه کم”
― عباس کیارستمی, آب

“When we are in front of an abstract painting, we have the license to interpret in any way we want. Or music—music is a medium that we might not understand, but that we feel and enjoy. But in the case of cinema many expect to receive a clear and unified message, but what I’m suggesting is that a film could be experienced as a poem, a painting, or a piece of music.”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“It's said that in the beginning was the word, but for me the beginning is always an image. When I think about a conversation, it always starts with images. And what I love about photography is the inscription of a single moment: it's completely ephemeral. You take the photograph, and one second later, everything has changed.”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“همیشه با کسی
قرار ملاقات دارم
که نمی آید . . .
نام او در خاطرم نیست”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“Light: the greatest painter and photographer of all. At every single moment of our lives we see different images, different pictures.”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“The full moon
reflected in water,
the water
contained in the bowl,
and the thirsty man

deep in sleep.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, گرگی در کمین

“You won't believe it but
I quench my thirst
by drinking from a mirage.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, گرگی در کمین

“I think a good film is one that has a lasting power, and you start to reconstruct it right after you leave the theater. There are a lot of films that seem to be boring, but they are decent films. On the other hand, there are films that nail you to your seat and overwhelm you to the point that you forget everything, but you feel cheated later. These are the films that take you hostage.

I absolutely don’t like the films in which the filmmakers take their viewers hostage and provoke them. I prefer the films that put their audience to sleep in the theater. I think those films are kind enough to allow you a nice nap and not leave you disturbed when you leave the theater. Some films have made me doze off in the theater, but the same films have made me stay up at night, wake me up thinking about them in the morning, and keep on thinking about them for weeks. Those are the kinds of films I like.”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“گفت
از دست من کاری بر نمی آید
کاش گفته بود
از دلم”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“Art is the experience of what you’ve felt inside.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Close Up

“لا يعرف القراءة
أو الكتابة
ولكنه كان يتحدث عن شيء
لم أقرأه قط
ولم يكتبه أحد”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“شب به موقع رسید
سپیده به موقع زد
خروس به موقع خواند
من بی موقع
خوابیدم.”
― عباس کیارستمی, باد و برگ

“من دەزانم کە خۆکوشتن لە گوناحە گەورەکانە، بەڵام ئەمەش گوناحێکی گەورەیە کە مرۆڤ بەختەوەر نەبێت!”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“من بوسعه
أن يخمن طعم حبة كرز،
نصفها أصفر
ونصفها أحمر؟”
― عباس کیارستمی, گرگی در کمین

“The nature that is in the location of my films can be seen in my photography, and I want my films to become closer to my photography and more distant from storytelling. It is true that these are completely separate milieus, but in my opinion, the ideal situation for me is for these two areas - photography and cinema - to become closer to one another.”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“هزار کودک عریان
در برف
کابوس شب زمستانی”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“A story starts before we encounter it and concludes long after we have turned away.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Lessons with Kiarostami

“به دنبال سراب
به آب رسیدم
بی احساس تشنگی”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“Morning is white,
evening is black,
a gray sorrow
in between.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, گرگی در کمین

“Most people live only a single life, but an artist lives many. Every work of art is an all-consuming gift. It takes everything from its creator, but ultimately gives life.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Lessons with Kiarostami

“It can be invigorating to live within walls and work within restrictions. Such things can oddly, be liberating, as we are forced to learn how to evade and elude. Barriers compel us to react against them and maoeuvre beyond, just as a flow of water changes direction when blocked.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Lessons with Kiarostami

“سقوط را
به‌خاطر پرواز تجربه کردم”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“بــرای بعضــی
قلــه
جــای فتــح اســت
بــرای قلــه
جــای بــرف”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“Art sees things in close-up, focusing our attention, teaching us to not cast blame so freely. Art doesn't make judgements, it informs and teaches. The camera allows truth to circulate in places it might not otherwise go.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Lessons with Kiarostami

“خوب که فکر می کنم
نمی فهمم
دلیل این همه مهر مادران را
به فرزندان”
― عباس کیارستمی, Walking with the Wind

“دوستــانــم
مــی رنجــاننــدم مــدام
از دشمنــان
چیــزی در خــاطــرم نیســت”
― Abbas Kiarostami

“If God has provided us with one thing, it's the power of imagination. Dreaming clearly has some function, otherwise why would we be capable of it? The ugliness of the world lies before us, whether we want to look or not, but we filter things and dig into our inhibitions, as we dream and fantasize, we come to learn about our true feelings and beliefs and desires. By doing so, we temporarily escape real life.”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Lessons with Kiarostami