“Were they aware, in the intensity of their embrace, of something slightly ridiculous about this tableau, something almost comical, as someone nearby sneezed violently into a crumpled tissue; as a dirty discarded plastic bottle scuttled along the platform under a breath of wind; as a mechanised billboard on the station wall rotated from an advertisement for hair products to an advertisement for car insurance; as life in its ordinariness and even ugly vulgarity imposed itself everywhere all around them? Or were they in this moment unaware, or something more than unaware—were they somehow invulnerable to, untouched by, vulgarity and ugliness, glancing for a moment into something deeper, something concealed beneath the surface of life, not unreality but a hidden reality: the presence at all times, in all places, of a beautiful world?”
― Sally Rooney, Beautiful World, Where Are You

“If you have no one, you are poor; if you have an acquaintance, you are fortunate; if you have a friend, you are privileged; if you have a lover, you are rich; if you have a soulmate, you are wealthy.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“A rose does not answer its enemies with words, but with beauty.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“If roses tried to be sunflowers, they would lose their beauty; and if sunflowers tried to be roses, they would lose their strength.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Thunder roars but does not strike. Lightning strikes but does not roar. Choose to be lightning.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“If you kick a lion when it is down, God help you when it gets up.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Busy hands achieve more than idle tongues.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Stars do not pull each other down to be more visible; they shine brighter.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“When people try to bury you, remind yourself you are a seed.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Cowards shrink from challenges, weaklings flee from them, but warriors wink at them.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“When all seems to be against you, remember, a ship sometimes has to sail against the current, not with it.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Life has a meaning but do not set out to find out. Just live it out.”
― Bangambiki Habyarimana, Pearls Of Eternity

“If a lion turned every time small dogs barked at it, it would be the laughing stock of the jungle.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“The world is already full of critics; to stand out, be an encourager.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“When the world told the caterpillar its life was over, the butterfly objected, “My life has just begun.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Be noble like the sun; let even those who resent you for shinning benefit from your warmth.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“It is easier to pluck a flower than to nurture it; which is why some would prefer to destroy your talents than nurture them.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“The louder the dogs bark the less a lion feels threatened.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Life provides chances to open your heart all the time.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree, The Spiritual Girl's Guide to Dating: Your Enlightened Path to Love, Sex, and Soulmates

“Be like the sun; never let the opinions of those who hate you dull your shine.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Jealousy says, “Compete with each other.” Envy says, “Destroy each other.” Empathy says, “Help each other.” Love says, “Empower each other.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“In a world full of daisies dare to be a rose.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“The early bird gets the worm, and the early fox gets the bird.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“A rose, no matter how beautiful, still has to contend with thorns.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Don’t let mediocre people talk you out of your dreams; lions have little in common with sheep.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“It is in vain to try and stop a star from rising, even with a ladder.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“When reaching for the stars, beware of those who want to cut off your hands.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“An archer must never blame a target for missing it.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo