Sumaiya Syed

“No one had ever kissed me with such love, and it occurred to me that happiness can reach such depths that it becomes something akin to grief.”
― Susan Abulhawa, Against the Loveless World

“The five-star scale doesn’t really exist for humans; it exists for data aggregation systems, which is why it did not become standard until the internet era. Making conclusions about a book’s quality from a 175-word review is hard work for artificial intelligences, whereas star ratings are ideal for them.”
― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

“He saw that a moon arose from the holy man’s breast and came to sink in his own breast. A tree then sprouted from his navel and its shade compassed the world. Beneath this shade there were mountains, and streams flowed forth from the foot of each mountain. Some people drank from these running waters, others watered gardens, while yet others caused fountains to flow. When Osman awoke he told the story to the holy man, who said ‘Osman, my son, congratulations, for God has given the imperial office to you and your descendants and my daughter Malhun shall be your wife’.”
― Caroline Finkel, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

“People have to go through skillful frustrations, otherwise they have no incentive to develop their own means and ways of coping with the world. - Bruce Lee”
― Shannon Lee, Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee