When I was young, my father used to say, ‘If 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.’ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didn’t know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.
Ishmael BeahI was still hesitant to let myself let go, because I still believed in the fragility of happiness.
Ishmael BeahI believe that there is a God, and coming from an African tradition, I believe also that there are gods.
Ishmael BeahSome nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them.
Ishmael BeahA lot of people, when they say forgive and forget, they think you completely wash your brain out and forget everything. That is not the concept. What I think is you forgive and you forget so you can transform your experiences, not necessarily forget them but transform them, so that they dont haunt you or handicap you or kill you.
Ishmael Beah