Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.

Laila remembered Mammy telling Babi once that she had married a man who had no convictions. Mammy didn't understand. She didn't understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of his life looking right back at her.

The desert weed lives on, but the flower of spring blooms and wilts.

you say you have no courage, but i see it in you. what you did, the burden you agreed to shoulder, took courage. for that, i honor you.

We [in The Khaled Hosseini Foundation] support and fund projects that bring jobs, healthcare, and education to women and children. In addition, we award scholarships to women pursuing higher education in Afghanistan.

Literary fiction is kept alive by women. Women read more fiction, period.

For a novelist, it's kind of an onerous burden to represent an entire culture.