I was reminded of my painter friend who had started her career by depicting scenes from life, mainly deserted rooms, abandoned houses and discarded photographs of women. Gradually, her work became more abstract, and in her last exhibition, her paintings were splashes of rebellious color, like the two in my living room, dark patches with little droplets of blue. I asked about her progress from modern realism to abstraction. Reality has become so intolerable, she said, so bleak, that all I can paint now are the colors of my dreams.

(Azar Nafisi "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books")

Mahshid is very sensitive. She is like porcelain, Yassi once told me, easy to crack. That's why she appears fragile to those who don't know her too well; but woe to whoever offends her. (..) "I am like good old plastic; I won't crack no matter what you do with me."

(Azar Nafisi "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books")

Nez, vai es varētu rīt uz uni uzvilkt savu balto džemperi ar ziemļbriedi? Es apsveru to kā protesta formu tam, ka man jau sen nav izdevies atrast jaunas kleitas un svārkus, kas man patiktu un derētu, uzvilkt to arī uz laligabas noslēguma pasākumu.