A Long Way Gone Quotes

“She said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold. But, she said, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone

“I went to the river, dove into the water, and sat at the bottom, but my thoughts followed me.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

“Sometimes night has a way of speaking to us, but we almost never listen.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

“I stayed awake all night, anxiously waiting for daylight, so that I could fully return to my new life, to rediscover the happiness I had known as a child, the joy that had stayed alive inside me even through times when being alive itself became a burden. These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone

“Jika kamu masih hidup, selalu ada harapan untuk hari yang lebih baik dan hal baik untuk dijalani. Jika tidak ada hal baik yang masih ada dalam takdir seseorang, ia akan mati”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

“She was wearing her white uniform and was on her way to take on other traumatized children. It must be tough living with so many war stories. I was just living with one, mine, and it was difficult, as the nightmares about what had happened continued to torment me. Why does she do it? Why do they all do it? I thought as we went our separate ways. It was the last time I saw her. I loved her but never told her.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

“I would try desperately to think about my childhood, but I couldn’t. The war memories had formed a barrier that I had to break in order to think”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone

“My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone

“Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am.”
― Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone