Sarrah Malirwala

“What I meant was, some people stand in front of a tree and the first thing they notice is the trunk. These are the ones who prioritize order, safety, rules, continuity. Then there are those who pick out the branches before anything else. They yearn for change, a sense of freedom. And then there are those who are drawn to the roots, though concealed under the ground. They have a deep emotional attachment to their heritage, identity, traditions …”
― Elif Shafak, The Island of Missing Trees

“Wherever there is a war and painful partition, there will be no winners, human or otherwise.”
― Elif Shafak, The Island of Missing Trees

“To immigrants and exiles everywhere,
the uprooted, the re-rooted, the rootless,
And to the trees we left behind,
rooted in our memories ...”
― Elif Shafak, The Island of Missing Trees

“Some day this pain will be useful to you.”
― Elif Shafak, The Island of Missing Trees