She felt the intimate loss of who she was meant to become.

— Rabih Alameddine

She felt the intimate loss of who was meant to become.

— Rabih Alameddine

The eye always fills in the imperfections.

— Rabih Alameddine

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who want to be desired, and people who want to be desired so much that they pretend they don't.

— Rabih Alameddine

The receding perspective of my past smothers my present. Remembering is the malignancy that feasts on my now.

— Rabih Alameddine

We rarely consider that we're also formed by the decisions we didn't make, by events that could have happened but didn't, or by our lack of choices, for that matter.

— Rabih Alameddine

... What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.

— Rabih Alameddine

What is the purpose of a city if not to grant the greatest of gifts, anonymity?

— Rabih Alameddine

You can say that Lebanese has hundreds of lexemes for family relations. Family to the Lebanese is as snow to the Inuit.

— Rabih Alameddine

You looked inhuman when you were dying, Doc, your eyes glistened like dimming stars, you were wasting away and life was leaving you piecemeal, your soul no longer fit your body, you hated it and I hated it and I couldn't recognize you and I couldn't see you, and I was frightened, and I never knew what to do, I looked for the man I love in you and I searched for who I used to be around you and I couldn't find either.

— Rabih Alameddine