We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Life’s Unpredictable Journey
L
The Essence of Loss
T
At the temple there is a poem called ‘Loss’ carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss, only feel it.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Doubt Hinders Success
D
A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Adversity Reveals True Self
A
Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
The Slow Death of Hope
T
The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Steps Towards Destiny
S
Can’t you see? Every step I have taken, since I was that child on the bridge, has been to bring myself closer to you.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Inventing Destiny
I
Destiny is something we’ve invented because we can’t stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
The Need for Secrets
T
A life without secrets is like a garden without flowers.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Imagining Beyond Adversity
I
Sometimes we get through adversity only by imagining what the world might be like if our dreams should ever come true.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Speaking About Pain
S
I don’t think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.
Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha