In my 20s I was such a serious, boring-looking person. I would never do my nails. I never even danced. But I was taught by the women. They had gone through hell, but they would dance and sing. I came to realise I can't argue for a happy world if I am not happy myself.
Interpretation
True happiness comes from within and can inspire others.
In this quote, Zainab Salbi reflects on her transformation from a serious and boring individual to someone who embraces joy and self-expression through actions like dancing and doing her nails. She acknowledges the struggles of women around her who, despite their hardships, chose to celebrate life, and this realization led her to understand that one cannot advocate for happiness in the world without embodying it personally.
In practice
Using this quote in a motivational speech to inspire young women.
In every single culture I encountered, there were always women who defied cultural norms to do what they believed was right for them. This phenomenon has never been related to how rich, poor, successful or not successful the woman may be.
I find it amazing that the only group of people who are not fighting and not killing and not pillaging and not burning and not raping, and the group of people who are mostly β though not exclusively β who are keeping life going in the midst of war, are not included in the negotiating table.
War is not a computer-generated missile striking a digital map. War is the color of earth as it explodes in our faces, the sound of child pleading, the smell of smoke and fear. Women survivors of war are not the single image portrayed on the television screen, but the glue that holds families and countries together. Perhaps by understanding women, and the other side of war ... we will have more humility in our discussions of wars... perhaps it is time to listen to womens side of history.
Every woman must own her story; otherwise we are all part of the silence.
As women, we must speak out, speak up, say no to our inheritance of loss and yes to a future of women-led dialogue about women's rights and value.
There's a lot of projection that if you're in service then you shouldn't look good. I'm no different from anybody else. I like clothes, I like shoes, I like to go have nice dinners, I like to dance. Just because I've dedicated myself to serving women, why do you think I need to sacrifice myself?
Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound, content to breathe his native air in his own ground.
Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
Every birthday is a gift. Every day is a gift.
This idea of perpetual happiness is crazy and overrated, because those dark moments fuel you for the next bright moments; each one helps you appreciate the other.
Excitement radiates through your eyes, your face, your voice, your soul, and your whole personality.
Eventually, I realized that there was only so much that I could put in the way of my happiness, and acting made me happier than anything else.
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