--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lapis lazuli worry beads, draped over…" description: "\"“The lapis lazuli worry beads, draped over his rear view mirror, swung back and forth like the hips of Scheherazade, Mohammed's favorite belly dancer, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/leslie-cockburn-24332_baghdad_the-lapis-lazuli-worry-beads-draped-over_2364755.jpg" --- # The lapis lazuli worry beads, draped over his rear view… ![“The lapis lazuli worry beads, draped over his rear view mirror, swung back and forth like the hips of Scheherazade, Mohammed's favorite belly dancer, who refused, in spite of the war, to leave Baghdad.” quote by Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/leslie-cockburn-24332_baghdad_the-lapis-lazuli-worry-beads-draped-over_2364755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/leslie-cockburn-24332_baghdad_the-lapis-lazuli-worry-beads-draped-over_2364755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/leslie-cockburn-24332_baghdad_the-lapis-lazuli-worry-beads-draped-over_2364755.jpg) > ““The lapis lazuli worry beads, draped over his rear view mirror, swung back and forth like the hips of Scheherazade, Mohammed's favorite belly dancer, who refused, in spite of the war, to leave Baghdad.”” [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid image of a decorative object moving rhythmically, symbolizing resilience and defiance amid conflict. **In simple terms:** A decorative bead swings, showing stubbornness in war. Key Takeaway Find beauty and resistance in small details. Themes resilience culture conflict artistic imagery Mood reflective poetic Type literary descriptive metaphorical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - visual storytelling Key Concepts symbolism visual metaphor defiance Questions to Reflect On - How can everyday objects reveal deeper truths? - What does the dancer’s refusal say about cultural endurance? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize war, overlooking its harsh realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) [Belly Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly-dancer-1825696/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Hips Scheherazade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hips-scheherazade-5802955/) [Lapis Lazuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lapis-lazuli-1195039/) [Rear view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rear-view/) [Rear view mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rear-view-mirror/) [Scheherazade Mohammed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scheherazade-mohammed-5802954/) ## Related quotes > [“The snow light flared on brightness. Blue: intense as a midsummer sky, obtained from grinding precious lapis lazuli carried by camel caravan all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-snow-light-flared-on-brightness-blue-intense-as-a-midsummer-sky/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [You cannot drive with your eyes in the rear-view mirror… But dignity is difficult to maintain. Stamina requires constant upkeep. Repetition is boring. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-cannot-drive-with-your-eyes-in-the-rear-view-mirror-but-dignity/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The hood ornament on your car is for telling you where you're going. The rear-view-mirror is for showing you how good you look while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/the-hood-ornament-on-your-car-is-for-telling-you-where-you-re-going/) [David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/) > [Never look at life through the rear view mirror. Look at it through the windshield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savannah-lopes/never-look-at-life-through-the-rear-view-mirror-look-at-it-through/) [Savannah Lopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savannah-lopes/) > [Most people suffer from the self limiting dysfunction "rear-view mirror syndrome" driving through life with their subconscious mind constantly looking in their own self-limiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/most-people-suffer-from-the-self-limiting-dysfunction-rear-view/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [I was in front of an ambulance the other day, and I noticed that the word ambulance was spelled in reverse print on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-was-in-front-of-an-ambulance-the-other-day-and-i-noticed-that-the/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [I have always believed that awards are like accessories to a car. 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It's good to glance back and see how far you've come, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-past-is-like-using-your-rear-view-mirror-in-the-car-it-s-good-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can lip read, so I know what other people are saying about me - especially when I clock them in my rear view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beesley/i-can-lip-read-so-i-know-what-other-people-are-saying-about-me/) [Max Beesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beesley/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [Every road in life is a journey. The rear view mirror is to remind us of where we have been so that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/every-road-in-life-is-a-journey-the-rear-view-mirror-is-to-remind-us/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [ \[H\]istory is seen in a rear-view mirror while the future is the dark, foggy road ahead, filled with unknown trouble. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-caruba/h-istory-is-seen-in-a-rear-view-mirror-while-the-future-is-the-dark/) [Alan Caruba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-caruba/) > [I'm paranoid. On my stationary bike, I have a rear view mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lewis/i-m-paranoid-on-my-stationary-bike-i-have-a-rear-view-mirror/) [Richard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lewis/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) ## More by Leslie Cockburn > [“Are you a journalist?” “I’m a doctor.” “Good. We need doctors, Wallahi .” Sadoon scowled. “Journalists only tell lies and smuggle carpets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/are-you-a-journalist-i-m-a-doctor-good-we-need-doctors-wallahi-sadoon/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [“But there are times, I would argue, when fiction delivers the greater truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/but-there-are-times-i-would-argue-when-fiction-delivers-the-greater/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [When you do a piece of journalism, you may have to cut away 95 percent of what you are experiencing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/when-you-do-a-piece-of-journalism-you-may-have-to-cut-away-95-percent/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [When I was in London at NBC, I was the lowest man on the totem pole. 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Just the other day I heard of somebody asking $250,000 ransom for an Egyptian. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/there-are-a-lot-of-people-missing-in-iraq-just-the-other-day-i-heard/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [“Death was sweetened for the martyrs by the promise of 72 virgins waiting in paradise. She had researched the 72 virgins. The number wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/death-was-sweetened-for-the-martyrs-by-the-promise-of-72-virgins/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [I think the greatest thing about making a documentary is your ability to just follow the story and the subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/i-think-the-greatest-thing-about-making-a-documentary-is-your-ability/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [In documentary films, the most difficult thing to achieve is to make something complex appear simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/in-documentary-films-the-most-difficult-thing-to-achieve-is-to-make/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [“You can take me to Petra, and sing for me in the ruins.” “Insha’Allah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/you-can-take-me-to-petra-and-sing-for-me-in-the-ruins-insha-allah/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [I covered the first Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and Israel for ABC News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/i-covered-the-first-gulf-war-in-saudi-arabia-and-israel-for-abc-news/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [Journalism, for me, has always been a calling. There are things that must be exposed to the light, truths that must be uncovered, stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/journalism-for-me-has-always-been-a-calling-there-are-things-that/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [“She had done her residency at LA County Hospital, where the CT machines were so old she had to mark off the body parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/she-had-done-her-residency-at-la-county-hospital-where-the-ct/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) [Explore all 24 Leslie Cockburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) ## More Baghdad quotes > [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/) [Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/) > [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/) [Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. 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I joined my brigade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-karpinski/the-mission-statement-was-ordered-and-it-sent-the-800th-mp-brigade/) [Janis Karpinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-karpinski/) > [The senior officer who met with reporters in Baghdad said there had been 21 car bombings in the capital in May, and 126 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/the-senior-officer-who-met-with-reporters-in-baghdad-said-there-had/) [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/) [Peter W. 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