Kurdish Quotes

“Ji bona her kesek yarek heye ê min welat yar e
Belê çibkim di destê dijminê xwînxwar û xeddar e.”
― Cegerxwîn

“The right of self-determination of the peoples includes the right to a state of their own. However, the foundation of a state does not increase the freedom of a people. The system of the United Nations that is based on nation-states has remained inefficient. Meanwhile, nation-states have become serious obstacles for any social development. Democratic confederalism is the contrasting paradigm of the oppressed people. Democratic confederalism is a non-state social paradigm. It is not controlled by a state. At the same time, democratic confederalism is the cultural organizational blueprint of a democratic nation. Democratic confederalism is based on grassroots participation. Its decision-making processes lie with the communities. Higher levels only serve the coordination and implementation of the will of the communities that send their delegates to the general assemblies. For limited space of time they are both mouthpiece and executive institution. However, the basic power of decision rests with the local grassroots institutions.”
― Abdullah Öcalan, Democratic Confederalism

“They assessed my age and assigned me a birthday.”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“هەرگیز مێژوو بۆ ئێمەی کورد نەبۆتە وانەیەک بۆ سوود وەرگرتن لە ڕابردوو”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“Li ser sebrekê û du pifikane”
― Mehmet Oncu, 101 Biwêj 101 Çîrok

“His voice was reassuring and calm, his expression soft, his eyes brighter than ever. Oh Ahura Mazda, she’d never wanted any man so intently in all her life. She ached to have him touch her, kiss her, taste her. And Ivar did as she wished. He put her hand to his nose to smell her skin, kissed her inner wrist to taste her, his lips lingered over her racing pulse. Finally, it was confirmed in actions and direct words, spoken aloud and repeated seven times… She felt the rush of desire ripping through her body, an intense sensation of warmth upon her skin, the blissful waves of uneasiness swamped through her, tingling her nerves.”
― Widad Akreyi, The Viking's Kurdish Love: A True Story of Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

“تەنها مانۆڤرێكی سیاسی هوشیار ئەتوانێت ئەم دۆخە هێوركاتەوە”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“زۆر جار بەتەنیا بە دیار ئاوێنەوە دادەنیشم وە سەیری خۆم ئەكەم، ئەلێم باشە مرۆڤ جۆن وا زوو ناشرین ئەبێ.
كە چی دایكی بەرەحمەتیم هەمیشە ئەی ووت كوڕم خەم مەخۆ چەند بەتەمەن تر ئەكەوی جوانتر ئەبی”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“Little by little, we began to understand that our mother tongue wasn’t the language of power and prosperity. At a young age, our alienation from Kurdish history and literature – from our roots, identity, and inevitably our parents – began, escalating with each year that passed.”
― Ava Homa, Daughters of Smoke and Fire

“ئای چەند سەختە... بە تاسەی خۆشەویسی یەکەمەوە بمریت کە
.دەزانیت ھەرگیز پێی ناگەیت”
― Alesandro Bariko, Silk

“.تۆ وەک ڕەوە ئاسکێکی پڕشنگدار ڕادەکەیت و منیش تاریکم، من دارستانم”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

“له‌وانه‌یه‌ شتێك هه‌بێت بترسیت له‌ گوتنی، یان كه‌سێك هه‌بێت بترسیت له‌ خۆشویستنی، یان شوێنێك هه‌بێت بترسیت له‌ چوونی. ئه‌وه‌ ئازارت ده‌دات. ئه‌وه‌ ئازارت ده‌دات چونكه‌ گرنگه‌”
― John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

“.من خه‌ون به‌ نیگاره‌كانمه‌وه‌ ده‌بینم، دواتر خه‌ونه‌كانم ده‌كێشم”
― Van Gogh

“من مرۆڤێکی باشم، بەڵام نووسەرێکی پەڕپووتم. تۆ مرۆڤێکی پەڕپووتی، بەڵام نووسەرێکی باشیت. بە هەردووکمان تیمێکی باش پێک دەهێنین”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“.ده‌زانی... كه‌ دڵت زۆر ته‌نگ بوو، حه‌ز به‌ ئاوابوونی خۆر ده‌كه‌یت”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“هيچ نەتەوەیك لە ئازارەکانی میللەتی کورد تێناگە تەنها خودی كورد نەبێت”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“لە هیچ سوچێکی گۆی زەویدا میللەتێك نیە هێندەی کورد بێ ماف بێت، وە هیچ میللەتێك نیە هێندەی كورد بێ كەس بێت”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“هەموومان لە حەقیقەت هەلدێین، ڕۆژێک دێت حەقیقەت یەخەمان دەگرێت و دادگایمان دەکات٫ ئەو کاتە پەنجەی پەشیمانی دەگەزین و هیچ دادمان نادات”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“People deserve to know about that. They need to understand, not so that they can pity the region, but simply because it helps to explain so much of the way Kurdistan has tried to improve itself afterwards. They need to understand to stop it from ever happening again. They need to understand, because it is unacceptable that a genocide that was essentially ignored by many countries around the world at the time should be continued to be ignored by history”
― Davan Yahya Khalil, Kurdistan: Genocide and Rebirth

“Tiştê herî bixof ew e ku tu bizanî însanek li hêviya te ye.”
― Bextiyar Elî, Hinara Dawî ya Dinyayê

“Bimre sîxurê tarîyê! Bijî ronahî!”
― Mîran Janbar, Kaptanê Mirinê

“.شه‌و درێژ، ڕۆژ درێژ، ته‌مه‌ن كورت”
― Abbas Kiarostami, Walking with the Wind

“.ئەو بە دەستی بەتاڵەوە هات و بە دەستی بەتاڵیشەوە گەڕایەوە، بەڵام لەم نێوەندەدا شتێکی دەستکەوت”
― نه‌ناسراو

“.من ئەوەم خۆش دەوێ کە نیمە. تۆش زۆر دووریت”
― Pablo Neruda

“.من باشم، من خراپم، هه‌رچۆنێك تۆ بته‌وێت”
― Franz Kafka, Letters to Milena

“پێویستمان بە بومەلەرزەیەکی سیاسیە نەوەک بومەلەرزەیەكی جیۆلۆجیك”
― Davan Yahya Khalil

“Carekê mirovekî belengaz hebû, xwarina wî her tim ji kîsî çak û qencan bû. Rojekê ji rojan mirovekî bi xêra bavê xwe hêkek da wî. Wî jî hêka xwe nexwar, li ber dîwarekî rawestiya, ji xwe re ket nav xeyalên kûr û di dilê xwe de wiha digot; Ez vê hêkê naxwim, ez ê bibim bidim bin mirîşka cîranê me ya kurk, hêka min wê piştî bîst rojan bibe çîçik. Got: Ew çîçîk wê mezin bibe, bibe mirîşk. Mirîşka min wê gelek hêkan bike, ez ê hêkên wê bidim hev, dema kurk bibe ez ê wan hêkan bixim bin. Mirîşka min ê ji min re gelek çîçikan derxe. Paşê çîçikên min ê mezin bibin, ew jî ê bibin mirîşk. Her ku nifşek mezin bû, ez ê dikên wan bifiroşim ji xwe re pê pez bikirim. Digot; pezê min ê zêde bibe, her nifşekî ez ê berx kavirên wan bifiroşim, ji xwe re zeviyan bikirim, ce, genim, nok û nîskan biçînim. Ez ê pê gelek dewlemend bibim û ji xwe re qesrekê avakim û bibim axayê êlekê. Piştî ku ez bibim axa ez ê keça axayê eşîra jorîn ji xwe re bînim, kurekî min ê ji wê bibe, ez ê pê şa bibim û bibêjim; Elo, Elo were milê bavê xwe...
Zilam dema ku herdu destên xwe ji bo Elo dirêj kirin, hêka wî ji destê wî kete erdê û şikest.”
― Mehmet Oncu, 101 Biwêj 101 Çîrok

“Qut û bir, ket û mir”
― Mehmet Oncu, 101 Biwêj 101 Çîrok

“At times the cooks express a small amount of generosity and pour half a glass of milk for every prisoner.”
― Behrouz Boochani, No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison

“The success was the continuation of Mr Barzani’s path. That path provided values and courage deep in peshmergas’ hearts, to fight and continue the struggle, providing deep roots. The path gave peshmerga power and courage, giving hope to all those Kurds tak- ing refuge outside of Iraq.”
― Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement: Fourth Edition, 1975-1990 - The Gulan Revolution, Part One