Amira

“Apakah nilainya cemerlang nanti telah tiba
apa yang menjadi pengakhiran nafas hayat manusia
ketika jantung tak berdenyut dan luka tak lagi bisa
seperti orang lain juga berteriak dan kagum memuja
kerna ujud diri telah tiada dan tinggallah kata-kata
yang mendatangkan mesra kerana sedikit pun tiada cela?”
― Usman Awang, Malam Ini Malam Berinai

“the object of war was not to win battles or destroy the enemy, but to provide a field for the performance of heroic deeds, which were subsequently immortalized in poetry. For the early Arabs to fight honorably was more important than to win.   T”
― Tahir Shah, In Arabian Nights

“Our feelings provide meaning not only for our private lives, but also for social and political processes. When we want to know who should rule the country, what foreign policy to adopt and what economic steps to take, we don’t look for the answers in scriptures. Nor do we obey the commands of the Pope or the Council of Nobel Laureates. Rather, in most countries, we hold democratic elections and ask people what they think about the matter at hand. We believe that the voter knows best, and that the free choices of individual humans are the ultimate political authority. Yet how does the voter know what to choose? Theoretically at least, the voter is supposed to consult his or her innermost feelings, and follow their lead. It is not always easy. In order to get in touch with my feelings, I need to filter out the empty propaganda slogans, the endless lies of ruthless politicians, the distracting noise created by cunning spin doctors, and the learned opinions of hired pundits. I need to ignore all this racket, and attend only to my authentic inner voice. And then my authentic inner voice whispers in my ear ‘Vote Cameron’ or ‘Vote Modi’ or ‘Vote Clinton’ or whomever, and I put a cross against that name on the ballot paper – and that’s how we know who should rule the country.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

“If I hold you in my heart, you'll wither;
Become a thorn if I hold you in my eyes.
No, I'll make a place for you within my soul instead
So you'll be my love in lives beyond this life.”
― Rumi