I was still hesitant to let myself let go, because I still believed in the fragility of happiness.
Ishmael BeahWe must live in the radiance of tomorrow, as our ancestors have suggested in their tales. For what is yet to come tomorrow has possibilities, and we must think of it, the simplest glimpse of that possibility of goodness. That will be our strength. That has always been our strength.
Ishmael BeahMy teeth became sour as I listened to his story. It was then that I understood why he was quiet all the time.
Ishmael BeahThis is one of the consequences of the civil war. People stop trusting each other, and every stranger becomes an enemy.
Ishmael BeahWhen I was young, my father used to say, โIf you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.โ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didnโt know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.
Ishmael Beah