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Left behind Quote by Azar Nafisi

“The feelings I thought I had left behind returned when, almost nineteen years later, the Islamic regime would once again turn against its students. This time it would open fire on those it had admitted to the universities, those who were its own children, the children of the revolution. Once more…” quote by Azar Nafisi
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““The feelings I thought I had left behind returned when, almost nineteen years later, the Islamic regime would once again turn against its students. This time it would open fire on those it had admitted to the universities, those who were its own children, the children of the revolution. Once more my students would go to the hospitals in search of the murdered bodies that where stolen by the guards and vigilantes and try to prevent them from stealing the wounded. I would like to know where Mr. Bahri is right now, at this moment, and to ask him: How did it all turn out, Mr. Bahri - was this your dream, your dream of the revolution? Who will pay for all those ghosts in my memories? Who will pay for the snapshots of the murdered and the executed that we hid in our shoes and closets as we moved on to other things? Tell me, Mr. Bahri-or, to use that odd expression of Gatsby's, Tell me, old sport- what shell we do with all this corpses on our hands?””

Azar Nafisi

About This Quote

Source Memoir: "Reading Lolita in Tehran", 2003

Trauma of repression resurfaces, questioning revolutionary promises.

In simple terms: Revolution can betray its own.

Key Takeaway

Remember history's costs.

Themes

politics memory violence

Mood

somber reflective

Type

historical personal

When to use this quote

  • human rights advocacy
  • educational reform
  • personal healing
  • journalism

Key Concepts

authoritarianism revolution human rights

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you confront past trauma?
  • What responsibility do we have to remember?
A Different Perspective

Personal narratives may not capture systemic causes.

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