Departure Quotes

“It is a long way off, sir"
"From what Jane?"
"From England and from Thornfield: and ___"
"Well?"
"From you, sir”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Aunt Petunia burst into tears. Hestia Jones gave her an approving look that changed to outrage as Aunt Petunia ran forward and embraced Dudley rather than Harry.
'S-so sweet, Dudders...' she sobbed into his massive chest. 'S-such a lovely b-boy...s-saying thank you...'
'But he hadn't said thank you at all!' said Hestia indignantly. 'He only said he didn't think Harry was a waste of space!'
'Yeah, but coming from Dudley that's like "I love you.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“Set out from any point. They are all alike. They all lead to a point of departure.”
― Antonio Porchia

“Mỗi lần rời khỏi một nơi nào đó, thật khó để phân biệt, chúng tôi bỏ đi hay chạy trốn.”
― Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, Cánh Đồng Bất Tận

“It was crucial to understand
whether that moment was
immensely hurtful or was
awfully affectionate for me.”
― Suman Pokhrel

“Why do travelers depart as they do, leaving an incomplete tale of footprints in the earth.”
― Suman Pokhrel

“Arrival in the world is really a departure and that, which we call departure, is only a return.”
― Dejan Stojanovic, The Sun Watches the Sun

“We ate away, reminiscing about our victories over the enemies from different streets and villages and competing with each other in casting curses. A few golden butterflies and dragonflies were fluttering around us. The afternoon air was warm and clean, and the town below us seemed like a green harbor full of white sails.”
― Ha Jin, Under the Red Flag

“The figs on the fig tree in the yard are green;
Green, also, the grapes on the green vine
Shading the brick red porch tiles.
The money’s run out.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Colossus and Other Poems

“maintenant tu ne peux plus m'offrir ni joies, ni douleurs. Adieu, Paris ! adieu !”
― Alexandre Dumas, Le Comte de Monte-Cristo II

“Are you Afraid of Sadness?"
In an old interview
with a famous and talented Iraqi actress,
the interviewer asked her:
“Why are you afraid of sadness?”
The actress responded:
“I am afraid of it because it quickly takes you to a place from which you can never return.”
And exactly as she was answering,
an insightful viewer could notice
a sadness on her face indicating
that the famous and talented actress herself
wasn’t really present in the interview
for sadness had long taken her with no return…

[Original poem published in Arabic on November 19, 2023 at ahewar.org]”
― Louis Yako

“There is something sad about traveling, because as you discover the enormous amount of life and living that exist in all these places and hidden corners, you are left with two contradictory feelings: first, traveling strongly confirms the idea that one can only see what one is intellectually, spiritually, and physically prepared to see…Everything we encounter depends on our palate in the same way tasting food is that encounter between the food and the palate. Second, there is something excruciatingly painful about leaving a place as soon as you begin to feel at home. There is a deep sorrow in knowing that all the things, places, lakes, wildflowers, animals, and people that we encounter will continue their lives without us. Even more painful is the realization that there are many more lives and much more beauty that we will never get to experience."

[From “Can We Travel Without Being Tourists?” published on CounterPunch on March 15, 2024]”
― Louis Yako

“You say, I am not free. But I have lifted my head and let it fall." It was as if, in choosing that passage, he were transmitting a signal of defiance to both the services. The last word of the message, when it was decoded by Boris or another, would read "goodbye".”
― Graham Greene, The Human Factor

“You entered my life as quietly as the morning mist, and just as silently, you slipped away. I cherish every moment we shared, but your departure has left me broken. Now, I’ll spend the rest of my days picking up the pieces, trying to rebuild and complete myself again.”
― Shahid Hussain Raja

“Departure lies in death.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“It seemed that all around her there was a strange eerie stillness, the stillness of a silent world, a world filled with people who came and went into their separate lives. Some wold arrange to meet again, some would pass like ships in the night, some would leave memories that would last forever, others would pass into limbo.”
― Sara Hylton, Easter at the Lakes

“Here goes my train
Sounding its whistle once again
As it continues its old journey
To a new station
A new foreign land
A new exile
A new illusion
A new face
A new death…”
― Louis Yako, أنا زهرة برية [I am a Wildflower]

“Goodbyes are never easy, but sometimes goodbye is necessary to regain our sanity.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya

“I think,
That all departures,
Teach one
To celebrate the togetherness
Of the moments spent
In contentment,
Rather than grieving
For the loss.”
― Neelam Saxena Chandra, Garden of Fragility

“I poured my heart into every effort, but the day came when I had to leave. And in that departure, I found the strength to appreciate myself, even if others couldn't see the value I brought to their lives.”
― Jyoti Patel, NIRVANA: RAGA • DVESHA • MOHA

“The Departure

We blow the soot, pack the bags
Clean the room, and march in the tracks
The wooden floor squeaked as we paddled
The gong rang, and the door opened with a creaking sound


The dusk was nigh, the birds echoed their song
Retrospecting the day, the uneasiness forlong
Few smiles, few somber faces, and bitter laughs
Witnessed by dandelions in the sky, and the emptying hourglass


At the edge of the world, for the last of the bus
We bid goodbyes, parted the ways, alas
The throat clenched, and the eyes ahead
We ambled where the path led


The future, a realm of mysteries and unknown
Uncertainties daunting, and change seems a con
Yet, fear not what tomorrow may hold
Be excited about the stories yet to unfold”
― Dishebh Bhayana

“Departure"
Everyone wants to leave
Those here want to go there,
and many there are eager to return here…
There are those who understood that living is not possible
neither here nor there,
so, you see them, in vain, searching for alternatives…
Few have understood that the impossibility of living
is a result of complicity not geography,
that most of those who stay or depart
never part ways with their complicity and tendency to surrender,
thus, they recreate the circumstances and the causes of departure
everywhere they go…
Few have understood that all places will remain unlivable
so long as the causes to depart are a result
of a complicit and defeated Self…


[Original poem published in Arabic on June 20, 2024 at ahewar.org]”
― Louis Yako

“Whenever I see a dead body, death seems to me a departure. The corpse looks to me like a suit that was left behind. Someone went away and didn't need to take the one and only outfit he'd worn.”
― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

“We'll never meet again.”
― Blade Seventh

“And one day, it’ll be the last time we see each other. We’ll never meet again.”
― Blade Seventh

“Unbeknownst to us, one day our paths will cross for the final time—never to cross again.”
― Badeeah Hassan AhmedSeventh

“Before parting, we place on record our deep anguish …”
― Arun Shourie, Courts and their Judgements: Premises, Prerequisites, Consequences

“There’s something about a cold morning — the way it bites into you, sharp and uninvited, like a stray dog testing your resolve.”
― Tom Cartledge, SaddleSore: From England to India

“Departure"
Everyone wants to leave— those here long to be there, and many there ache to return here…

There are some who’ve grasped that living is impossible neither here nor there— so they search, in vain, for alternatives.

Few have come to understand that this impossibility of living stems not from geography, but from complicity.

Most who stay or go never part ways with their surrender and quiet compliance— and so they recreate, everywhere they settle, the same conditions and reasons for departure.

Few have realized that all places will remain unlivable as long as the urge to leave is born from a complicit, defeated self…”
― Louis Yako, سرطان في كل مكان [Cancer Everywhere]

“The day came for Mary to go. There was a bustle of departure. 'Next year,' they all shouted. The dogs jumped and barked. Jenny ran to the end of the departure platform and waved and waved as the train drew out. 'Next year,' she cried. Then life went on. The dark came sooner. The first elm leaf grew yellow. The barley was brown.”
― Nan Shepherd, The Grampian Quartet: The Quarry Wood: The Weatherhouse: A Pass in the Grampians: The Living Mountain