Hope had only revealed herself to him when he was immersed in darkness

— Soroosh Shahrivar

In searching for himself, he had come to understand that he was defined by selflessness

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Interpreting dreams for Iranians was just as much a sacrament as reading coffee cups was for Turks

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Leadership was not an act of bravery but rather forbearance and the strength to move forward with humility in the belief of what is righteous

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Love was supposed to be the easiest path to divinity

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Luck is the devil with a halo

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Mourning was really for the living.

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Not long ago, man grew a sense of conscience. He defined himself by what he is, what he thinks, and, more importantly, what he feels—failing to realize that all come from One single source. All of man’s qualities come from One divine being. And that One being has bestowed nature’s hand with the ability to balance itself. Where there is good, there is also evil. And where evil arises, so does good

— Soroosh Shahrivar

People needed proof that Utopia was nothing more than a theory, an illusion read in fictional stories.

— Soroosh Shahrivar

Pilgrims from all over the world were making their way to the place deemed the pearl of the Middle East. The city was reminiscent of a modern-day Persepolis. Its buildings, like towering pillars, tested the sky’s limit. The evenly paved roads belched with the smell of new tarmac, as if a million masons woke up every morning and by hand lay asphalt one grain at a time. People of all colors, ethnicities, creed and social statuses came bearing money, knowledge or experience in order to build their legacies in the new kingdom, sprouting out of the desert. Dubai had arrived.

— Soroosh Shahrivar