Mariam

"It always came back to this. All the other things—the ministering to Jalil's wives, the rules of custom, decorum—they were just dressing."

"Do you know what happens when you let yourself get attached to someone?"

"It had occurred to her that he wasn't wicked, not really. He was just a man."

"She felt that she had been a good wife to him, that she had earned a reprieve."

"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."

"He was a Taliban now. He belonged to the Taliban, not to her anymore."

"A man is the needle and the thread."

"He had not beaten her badly today, which meant she was grateful."

"She found that she was capable of love in ways she never thought possible."

"She understood then what Noor had said about the weight of secrets."

"There is no shame in what has happened to you."

"She realized that forgiveness was not about the other person."

"She found peace in the simple act of helping another human being."

"She had learned that hope was a dangerous thing."

"She understood finally that love required sacrifice."

"Suffering is what forms us."

"You're going to hurt, and hurt badly. But it won't last forever."

"Better to get mad. Better to get furious."

"A woman's life in this country is just a like a leave in autumn—and then it falls, and no one remembers it."

"I wish to be a teacher. I wish to be a mother."

"Mothers are not supposed to reject their children."

"I am not a stone to be buried. I am a woman."

"Do you know what I think happened? That the universe took a long, hard look at the suffering I endured and decided to return the favor."

"I am the face of your past."

"You will be a good mother."

"Teach me to read."

"We endure because we have to."

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me that you're happy."

"Forgiveness is not something to be expected."

"I forgive you for what you've done to me."