“Success was ephemeral—and fluid—as I’d found out the hard way. It came. It went. It changed you from the outside, but not from the inside. Inside, I was still the same girl who dreamed of a destiny greater than she was allowed. Did I really need the house to prove I had skill, talent, ambition, intelligence? What if—”
―
Alka Joshi,
The Henna Artist
“there were three kinds of karma: the accumulated karma from all our past lives; the karma we created in this life; and the karma we stored to ripen in our future lives.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“People are more gullible and less compassionate than any of us want to believe.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Hadn’t Gandhi-ji said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind?” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“He deserves paradise who makes his companions laugh.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“At this moment, sitting in front of this good, sensible woman, I wanted the thing I hated most in this world. Sympathy. Even more, I hated that I wanted it. Hated myself for my weakness.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Be humble for you are made of earth Be noble for you are made of stars. —SERBIAN PROVERB” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“Just then, my mother’s words echoed in my head: stretch your legs only as far as your bed. I was getting too far ahead of myself.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Independence changed everything. Independence changed nothing.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Before independence, these objects had signified my ladies’ admiration for the British. Now, they signified their scorn. My ladies had changed nothing but the reasons for their pretense. If I had learned anything from them, it was this: only a fool lives in water and remains an enemy of the crocodile.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“In India, individual shame did not exist. Humiliation spread, as easily as oil on wax paper, to the entire family, even to distant cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews. The rumormongers made sure of that. Blame lay heavily in my chest. Had I not deserted my marriage, Radha would not have suffered so much, and Maa and Pitaji would not have been so powerless against an entire village.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“I’ve come to think that some people are meant to be in our lives for a certain length of time and not a moment more.” ― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris
“The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime. Samaj-jao?” ― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris
“If you want the rose, you must put up with the thorn. —HINDU PROVERB” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“The one-eyed man is king among the blind,” I replied, smiling.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“My younger sister was lively and curious, which was good, but she was also untamed—and that could be a dangerous combination.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“I should have known that Moti-Lal would figure it out. More than once, he’s told me selling gold requires an insight into human nature. He says you must be able to discern the intensity of a customer’s desire by looking into their eyes. That will tell you what to show, what to hold back, and how much the customer is willing to part with.” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“Not once had I believed him capable of change. But if I could change, why couldn’t he?” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“There's more power in keeping a secret than in betraying it.” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“there were three kinds of karma: the accumulated karma from all our past lives; the karma we created in this life; and the karma we stored to ripen in our future lives.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“People are more gullible and less compassionate than any of us want to believe.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Hadn’t Gandhi-ji said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind?” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“He deserves paradise who makes his companions laugh.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“At this moment, sitting in front of this good, sensible woman, I wanted the thing I hated most in this world. Sympathy. Even more, I hated that I wanted it. Hated myself for my weakness.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Be humble for you are made of earth Be noble for you are made of stars. —SERBIAN PROVERB” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“Just then, my mother’s words echoed in my head: stretch your legs only as far as your bed. I was getting too far ahead of myself.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Independence changed everything. Independence changed nothing.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“Before independence, these objects had signified my ladies’ admiration for the British. Now, they signified their scorn. My ladies had changed nothing but the reasons for their pretense. If I had learned anything from them, it was this: only a fool lives in water and remains an enemy of the crocodile.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“In India, individual shame did not exist. Humiliation spread, as easily as oil on wax paper, to the entire family, even to distant cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews. The rumormongers made sure of that. Blame lay heavily in my chest. Had I not deserted my marriage, Radha would not have suffered so much, and Maa and Pitaji would not have been so powerless against an entire village.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“I’ve come to think that some people are meant to be in our lives for a certain length of time and not a moment more.” ― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris
“The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime. Samaj-jao?” ― Alka Joshi, The Perfumist of Paris
“If you want the rose, you must put up with the thorn. —HINDU PROVERB” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“The one-eyed man is king among the blind,” I replied, smiling.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“My younger sister was lively and curious, which was good, but she was also untamed—and that could be a dangerous combination.” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“I should have known that Moti-Lal would figure it out. More than once, he’s told me selling gold requires an insight into human nature. He says you must be able to discern the intensity of a customer’s desire by looking into their eyes. That will tell you what to show, what to hold back, and how much the customer is willing to part with.” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
“Not once had I believed him capable of change. But if I could change, why couldn’t he?” ― Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist
“There's more power in keeping a secret than in betraying it.” ― Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
