She said, “I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles…Nothing.”
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
That is not the understanding of brave I want my children to have. I do not want my children to become people who abandon themselves to please the crowd.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
Brave does not mean feeling afraid and doing it anyway.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
Whether you are brave or not cannot be judged by people on the outside.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
Sometimes being brave means letting everyone down but yourself. Amma’s brave is often: loud and go for it. Tish’s brave is often: quiet and wait for it.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
They are not divided between what they feel and know on the inside and what they say and do on the outside. Their selves are integrated. They have integrity.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
her integrity required her to resist the pressure of the crowd.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
Brave is not asking the crowd what is brave. Brave is deciding for oneself.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
What you know to do might be the opposite of what others are telling you to do. It takes special bravery to honor yourself when the crowd is pressuring you not to. It’s easier just to give in.
zeinabmammedovahas quoted2 years ago
Regardless of what others are calling ‘brave’ at the moment: You stay loyal to yourself.