Have you ever read a line from a book or a magazine that had such a deep impact in your life, you felt like you would never be the same person again? Here are 7 beautiful lines from Shantaram that will change the way you think.
Franz Kafka once said: “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for? So that it will make us happy, as you write? Good Lord, we would be happy precisely if we had no books, and the kind of books that make us happy are the kind we could write ourselves if we had to. But we need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.”
A book has the power to change us completely or make us what we actually are. One such book is Shantaram. A fantastic work of fiction(with lots of realities) by Gregory David Roberts. Here are some of the gems from the book.
“A man trusts another man when he sees enough of himself in him.” ― Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram
“If you make your heart into a weapon, you end up using it on yourself.” ― Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram
“None of us lie or guard our secrets when we sing, and India is a nation of singers whose first love is the kind of song we turn to when crying just isn’t enough.” — Gregory David Roberts
We do things that are impossible for our family and our beloved ones out of the love we hold for them.
And the best one of all from Shantaram, the one about forgiveness…
What characterises the human race more, Karla once asked me, cruelty, or the capacity to feel shame for it? I thought the question acutely clever then, when I first heard it, but I’m lonelier and wiser now, and I know it isn’t cruelty or shame that characterises the human race. It’s forgiveness that makes us what we are. Without forgiveness, our species would’ve annihilated itself in endless retributions. — Gregory David Roberts
Life isn’t always pink but it isn’t always blue either. All we need to do is believe and smile our way through the puddles and potholes and we will reach that heavenly waterfall of happiness. We almost always do. 🙂
These lines always give me a warm feeling of security and comfort. What are your views on these 7 beautiful lines from Shantaram?
I'm a twenty one year old student of life. I believe in learning, dialogue and free speech. I'm an avid reader. I listen to music or play basketball during my free time. I'm a writer. See my other works on Instagram. My user name is 'enigma_varun'. Tell me your story.
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