Shon Mehta Quotes

“We should travel – because only then we can truly unravel not just the vastness of the universe, but of our own mind.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“Some faces can be confusing – looking at them, one
can’t really decide whether they are beautiful or ugly. Tasvak’s face was not one of them. It took just one look to be certain that it is the ugliest face one has ever seen.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“When he was a kid, Tasvak had tried to reason, but could not understand why his stepbrothers kept bullying him. But he had realized one thing very early – that nobody was going to protect him, not even his father.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“The people around Tasvak talked about the festival, how it was less brutal than Igati’s Prahuti, with its tradi- tion of human sacrifice, but not as beautiful as Sonira’s Lolupa-Krish, which marked the yearly harvest, and not as pious as Vanpore’s Dhi, with its plethora of Tapasi rituals. Tasvak had heard about these places since his childhood, and longed to visit them.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“It is an honor for a woman to die in her husband’s pyre, sister,” Kindisha shouted back. “My mother is in the pyre, too. I am proud of her sacrifice. By Sarvabhu’s grace, she will find her place in the heavens.”
“Let me burn you alive, then we will see how much honor you feel through the pain.” Keya was furious, but helpless. Tasvak could feel his sister’s grief, but was aware that Kindisha was merely echoing what the traditions had taught him.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“Nachiketa was the commander of the Rongcha army, and the king’s son-in-law. He was so cruel that he had no reason to be ugly, and he was so ugly that he had no reason to be cruel.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“Vidari tribals had a long-standing tradition of kidnapping bridegrooms for their daughters. It was a common occurrence – travelers disappeared without a trace, and emerged with a wife and child after months in captivity.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“Yashthi’s days of being fooled by his father’s kind appearance were long gone. He had seen his father brutally kill men while looking calm, kind, and pious.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“Deep inside the grand Vakshi forest, atop a gigantic rock that reaches the sky, lies the ancient monastery town of Vakshi,” Guru Sarvadni had told a young Tasvak. “Vakshi has monasteries of all the faiths in Jivavarta. It is the most peaceful place I have ever visited.”
Ever since, Tasvak had always wanted to visit Vakshi. But he had never thought that his wish will be fulfilled in such a strange way.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“Who is this monk?” asked Tasvak. “Can we trust him?”
“Yes, we can trust him,” assured Sarvadni. “I have known him for some time.”
“Is he your pupil?” asked Tasvak. He was curious.
“No, he is not,” replied Sarvadni. “He will be an awful pupil, but he is a brilliant teacher. He is the founder of his own faith, which he calls Ajabuhi.”
― Shon Mehta, The Timingila

“One’s life choices are nobody else’s problem, they only become a problem when one tries to force them on others.”
― Shon Mehta

“Everybody is against nepotism until it is their turn.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“While many people transition into politics after successful careers, I began mine in politics.”
― Shon Mehta

“Creation, in any form, marks a shift, from innocence to awareness, from childlike wonder to adult responsibility. Whether it’s cooking, writing, or any other craft, the act of making something meaningful demands more than admiration; it requires understanding, effort, and growth.”
― Shon Mehta

“Today I finished the first draft of my next book.
When I wrote the first draft of my first book, I thought I had won something great — perhaps not the whole war, but at least the first battle. Only later did I understand that the first draft is not the ending of anything. It is the beginning of everything.
You write more books, you realize the first draft is not the end of the war. It is the declaration of it.
A first draft doesn’t have to be good or bad. It only needs to exist. It is unpolished but breathing. It is like describing a dream before it fades. A first draft can be messy, uncertain, rough, yet filled with traces of possibilities.
When you finish the first draft of a work, something changes. You no longer feel trapped in the endless work ahead. You actually begin to imagine how beautiful it will be to return to edit, to add the details that are missing.
The thought of reshaping gives you a rush. The tiredness disappears. You must let the First draft exist, and by letting it exist, you are allowing yourself the possibility of creating a masterpiece.”
― Shon Mehta

“Every man sits upon a throne built from the stones of his own misjudgment.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“They may take your words, but they cannot take the nights that produced them. They may repeat your thoughts, but they cannot live your memories. You know where these sentences were born. You recognize yourself in them wherever and wherever they appear.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“Sometimes, the cost of our actions is paid by those who never chose to be involved.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“A good uniform does not make a person look dignified.
It is a dignified person that makes the uniform look good.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“Fear the enemy who strikes you, but dread the friend who finds a rhythm in your screams.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“The most dangerous man is not the one who hates you, but the one who has realized you are no longer a threat.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“Unison erases difference; harmony thrives on it.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“It is a strange thing, to be abandoned by someone who never existed.”
― Shon Mehta, Rough Hewn

“To read religious sacred text is not to receive a command, but to enter a conversation already in progress.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“Truth is often a poor storyteller.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“Sometimes we fail to see people for who they are, and our behavior pushes them into becoming someone they’re not.”
― Shon Mehta, Stories Of Jivavarta

“All the heroes died a long time back, we all are descendants of the survivors.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“People are generous until you outgrow your place in their eyes. After that, kindness becomes envy, and envy turns hostile.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind

“Be a princess in your own fairy tale.”
― Shon Mehta, A Tale of a Fairy Tale and other stories

“Lift the mighty from the mire, and they will call you a liar.”
― Shon Mehta, The Uncharted Mind