The Henna Artist Quotes
"Independence changed everything. Independence changed nothing."
"Only a fool lives in water and remains an enemy of the crocodile."
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
"The happiest marriages are when parents choose the girl."
"You must be freezing, dear. Twenty-one Celsius is glorious as far as I’m concerned."
"He plays squash at the club with John—my husband. That’s where I met him."
"I want this baby with all my heart. But if I’m thrown out on the street..."
"I apologize for my mother-in-law, Mrs. Shastri."
"It works most of the time, but there is no guarantee."
"We’ll move into our house when it’s ready. Not before."
"Thank you for keeping Radha from burning the house down."
"Appeasing the pious Mrs. Iyengar would cost me plenty."
"Bribery was the way to the landlady’s heart."
"The room was fragrant with the savories and sweets we had cooked."
"My favorite hour. The moon was at the window."
"The karma we created in this life; and the karma we stored to ripen in our future lives."
"I wrapped my body around hers until there was no space left between us."
"I felt her ribs rise against my chest, then fall as they settled, with each breath."
"I really needed the palace commission, but how long would I have to wait?"
"I asked myself which karma had led to my marriage with Hari."
"I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t. I looked for you but you weren’t there!"
"Once married, a woman was her husband’s property."
"I would have died if I’d stayed. Hari would have made sure of it."
"A woman’s gold was her security against the unforeseen."
"Maa’s naked earlobes and bare wrists were a constant reminder of sacrifice."
"I couldn’t take a chance that something like what happened tonight won’t happen there."
"I believe you. I don’t think you did anything wrong. That’s not the point."
"I live in a palace with a maharaja who is not my natural son."
"Everything was painted: tusks, trunks, feet."
"The citizens of Jaipur may think we maharanis have power."
"Her spirits must be restored so she can resume her royal functions."
"I’m always looking for the king, but he eludes me."
"We must tell Chef to make you rabri at once."
"Her Highness slept a full six hours last night!"
"My husband died thirty-three years ago, and little Madho Singh is only fifteen."
"Make sure Chef doesn’t send the boy off to one of the other kitchens."
"It would give Madho Singh the greatest pleasure. Would it not?"
"I live in a palace with a maharaja who is not my natural son and a maharani who is my stepdaughter-in-law."
"Assess away," she commanded, her voice brisk again.
"You must think about money—how to pay rent, how to afford a new pair of shoes, food."
"Everyone has a right to make a living, n’est-ce pas?"
"It’s necessary for the body to perspire. Helps rid the body of toxins."
"With all my nephews married. And Sheela’s marriage arranged, thanks to you."
"I don’t know why it always tastes much better at night."
"My life as a henna artist was over. I would never again paint the hands of the ladies of Jaipur."
"It was a wonder any trains managed to take off at all."
"How exciting it had all been! The promise of a new life."
"If I hadn’t met him, I might still be in Agra, working with the courtesans."
"His smile was without reproach or anger. For the first time since I’d known him, he appeared content."
"A thousand miles from the tiny village where I’d started, I was finally home."
"Sudha Latika Joshi had an arranged marriage at eighteen and three children by the age of twenty-two."
"Without her, this book could never have been written."
"If he hadn’t given me that encouragement in 1997, I might never have taken a writing workshop."