Jhumpa Lahiri

“Somehow, in a world of physical constants, it's the relationships, the connections, the episodes of intimacy that seem to truly define us.”

“Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated.”

“The loneliness of the immigrant is a theme that runs through all of my work.”

“For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy — a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts.”

“Translation is a mysterious thing. The reader is the protagonist, the true hero of this story.”

“In my writing, as in my life, I am interested in the inner lives of people.”

“The idea of a homeland is a myth. It's a place we are always seeking but never find.”

“I am not a person who is comfortable with fame.”

“She has the gift of accepting her life; as he does not.”

“It's a wonderful thing to be able to be your own boss and make your own decisions and dictate your own days.”

“Language, for me, is a place of struggle.”

“That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”

“Fiction is the only way I know a human being can inhabit the mind of another human being.”

“I think that the power of art is the power to wake us up, to sharpen our senses, so that we can see and hear and feel in a more profound way.”

“It is a magical thing for a handful of words, unconnected, to convey a feeling, a sensation. It is a form of sorcery.”