Alia'a Siren

“You know, O friend, any meeting is surely more than parting. There is emptiness before meeting someone, just nothing, but there is no longer emptiness after parting. After having met someone once, it is impossible to part completely. A person remains in the memory, as a part of the memory. The person created that part and that part lives, sometimes coming into contact with its creator. Otherwise, how would we sense those dear to us from a distance?”
― Eugene Vodolazkin, Laurus

“Memory's truth, because memory has its own special kind. It selects, eliminates, alters, exaggerates, minimizes, glorifies, and vilifies also; but in the end it creates its own reality, its heterogeneous but usually coherent version of events; and no sane human being ever trusts someone else's version more than his own.”
― Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children

“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them!”
― Vicki Baum, Ballerina

“They embraced in parting. There were tears in the merchant’s eyes:
“I do not like parting.”
“Life consists of partings,” said Arseny. “But you can rejoice more fully in companionship when you remember that.”
“But I would (the merchant Vladislav blew his nose) gather up all the good people I’ve met and never let them go.”
“I think then they would quickly become mean,” smiled Ambrogio. (p. 238)”
― Evgenij Vodolazkin, Laurus