War always takes you by surprise. Marjane Satrapi More Quotes by Marjane Satrapi More Quotes From Marjane Satrapi In life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's because they're stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance... Always keep your dignity and be true to yourself. Marjane Satrapi revenge stupid hurt If I have one message to give to the secular American people, it's that the world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same. Marjane Satrapi differences government country Culture and education are the lethal weapons against all kinds of fundamentalism. Marjane Satrapi weapons kind culture My culture comes from everywhere. I'm sick of this notion of nationality, that if you're brought up in the same city or same country you're the same. Even three kids brought up in the same family with the same genes, they are not the same. Just consider a human a human. Marjane Satrapi cities country kids The real war is not between the West and the East. The real war is between intelligent and stupid people. Marjane Satrapi easter real war Life is too short to be lived badly. Marjane Satrapi life-is-too-short too-short life-is Drawing is the first language of the human being before writing. It's a transcription of how the human being sees reality, not reality itself. Marjane Satrapi drawing writing reality Evil is international and the fanatic is international and universal. There is no difference between a Muslim fanatic, a Christian fanatic, even a secular fanatic. Marjane Satrapi differences christian evil The world is not about Batman and Robin fighting the Joker; things are more complicated than that. And nothing is scarier than the people who try to find easy answers to complicated questions. Marjane Satrapi fighting trying people All big changes of the world come from words. Marjane Satrapi big-changes bigs world I don't believe in the clash of cultures. The culture is one. The culture is a ring off the same chain. Picasso was very much influenced by the African arts, and he influenced a whole other generation of artists. So everything influences everything. Marjane Satrapi generations believe art It is dangerous when you start calling people from one part of the world terrorists or fanatic, and you reduce them to some abstract notion. If evil has a geographical place, and if the evil has a name, that is the beginning of fascism. Real life is not this way. You have fanatics and narrow-minded people everywhere. Marjane Satrapi real names people When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind all dictators' repression. Marjane Satrapi analysis reflection fear My mother always told me I had to do 100 times better than a man. I had to work hard at maths, and learn four languages. Marjane Satrapi hard-work mother math I'm someone who lived in a war for five years. I received bombs on my head every day of my childhood. Did that stop me from living? Did that stop me from laughing? Marjane Satrapi laughing war years The best thing I ever did in my life was to ask, 'Do I like everybody?' And the answer was, 'No.' So why should everybody like me? If people are against me, so what? I'm against them too. Marjane Satrapi should answers people I was a westerner in Iran, an Iranian in the West. I had no identity. I didn't even know anymore why I was living. Marjane Satrapi iran west identity I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your life, it becomes fictional. Of course, the truth is never far. But the story is created out of it. Marjane Satrapi truth-is scripts stories I respect humanity. That's my religion. I can't stand these religions that are really businesses. So much money everywhere that's going to buy a really nice house in heaven - or what? I don't get it. Marjane Satrapi nice house heaven Nothing's worse than saying goodbye. It's a little like dying. Marjane Satrapi saying-goodbye dying goodbye
