Laila Lalami
13 quotes
Biography
Laila Lalami is a Moroccan-American novelist, essayist, and professor. After earning her licence ès lettres degree in Morocco, she received a fellowship to study in the United Kingdom (UK), where she earned an MA in linguistics.
"But, he tried to tell himself, maybe this was just a fleeting interest, maybe it would all go away."
"She had to do something for her future—today."
"He couldn't understand these foreigners. They could go to a nice hotel, have a clean bed, go to the beach or the pool, and here they were in the worst part of town, looking around for something exotic."
"She did not notice the fading afternoon light that lengthened the shadows behind her, framing her body like the arches of a shrine."
"A bit salty dear," she said. Faten smiled, grateful for the truth."
"Better than the Moroccans themselves."
"We're so blinded by our love of the West that we're willing to give them our brightest instead of keeping them here where we need them."
"Lucky Aziz. He curses his own luck."
"He needed someone to trustworthy to deal with Faten, and he knew Raouf would not let him down."
"There’s a disconnect between how people imagine their families and how families are in real life."
"They’re supposed to be the people who support you, who love you no matter what, and the reality is they’re the first people who teach you to cast doubt on yourself, they’re the first people who sometimes don’t have your back…"
"When you move into a new place, it does involve a refashioning of the self. We derive our sense of identity at least partly in relation to the landscape around us, in which we’ve grown up..…"
"I’m an immigrant myself. One of the things I’ve noticed over the years, when I do events, is that people will—not unkindly—suggest that I’m “doing well.” It’s something that’s always mystified me, as if there are different classes of immigrants, and the immigrants who “make it” work harder than those who don’t “make it.” As if success is entirely determined by an individual’s effort, irrespective of society’s structural inequities. I’ve always been very suspicious of that notion. It’s very dangerous. It’s an idea that I think makes people feel guilty when they’re not successful. Like if you’re poor, it’s your fault because you didn’t work hard enough…"