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Raif Iftikhar
http://raififtikhar.wordpress.com/
“Thus it is that no cruelty whatsoever passes by without impact. Thus it is that we always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”
― The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
― The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
“While I thus cogitate in disquiet and perplexity, half submerged in dark waters of a well in an Arabian oasis, I suddenly hear a voice from the background of my memory, the voice of an old Kurdish nomad: If water stands motionless in a pool it grows stale and muddy, but when it moves and flows it becomes clear: so, too, man in his wanderings. Whereupon, as if by magic, all disquiet leaves me. I begin to look upon myself with distant eyes, as you might look at the pages of a book to read a story from them; and I begin to understand that my life could not have taken a different course. For when I ask myself, 'What is the sum total of my life?' somthing in me seems to answer, 'You have set out to exchange one world for another-to gain a new world for yourself in exchange for an old one which you never really possessed.' And I know with startling clarity that such an undertaking might indeed take an entire lifetime.”
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“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”
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“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
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Raif’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Raif’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Art, Biography, Business, Chick-lit, Children's, Christian, Classics, Comics, Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, Graphic novels, Historical fiction, History, Humor and Comedy, Memoir, Music, Mystery, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Poetry, Psychology, Religion, Science, Science fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, and Young-adult
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