7 Quotes & Sayings By Yael Shahar

Yael Shahar is the author of nine books, among them The Orchardist, A Year in the Life of Alena, and her most recent novel, The Song of Itself. She is also the recipient of many awards for her writing, including a National Jewish Book Award and a Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages. Yael grew up in New York City and now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two young daughters.

1
Every action in this world, every word, every thought, has an effect. But the actor is also acted upon by his action. The condition on which you are allowed to make a change in the world is that the world changes you as well. Yael Shahar
2
The connections that we have with others, the things we learn, and yes, our prayers–all of it is a web of connections that bind us into the fabric of reality and make us part of something greater than ourselves. And if our reality is only a tiny reflection of a much greater reality, still it is also an essential part. And the same is true of each individual life. Each deed and thought–each word between friends–adds a new thread to a tapestry so vast that we may never be able to step back and see the whole. . Yael Shahar
3
There is a continuity in our lives–a strain of music that flows through it all, unaltered by death or pain. It is true that in the face of pain and death, we are very small. But in the face of life and memory and love, even death is very small. Yael Shahar
4
Are we not, all of us, in some way, damaged mirrors? Are we not constantly engaged in focusing the light of thought–memories out of the depths of human experience–onto the photographic plate of each moment? The image captured in this instant is a snapshot of all eternity, subtly altered by our own brokenness. And who’s to say that the image formed by a damaged mirror is not a truer picture of the universe? . Yael Shahar
5
Regret is not the same as guilt. It is expressed by: ‘I can’t believe I did that. It’s not like me. This is not how I am! How could I do such a thing?’ It means to see ourselves as the best we can be, and to be disappointed in not living up to that. Yael Shahar
6
It’s one of those times when the question is its own answer…. The writing is itself the solution to the inability to write! Yael Shahar