A few seconds, that is all. Later, it will always seem much longer.
-- Sade (chapter 1)

Importance: This quote highlights the ability of a single moment to completely alter the course of one's life. Although Sade has spent her entire life with her happy and loving parents, the death of her mother sends her life into a chaotic tailspin and the abandonment of her home. In hindsight, this horrible moment inflates itself to include the huge significance of fracturing the self and national identity to begin again in a new place without any family or friends.

Not a speck, not a stain on her gray school skirt and blue blouse to show what terrible thing had happened…If only by putting on something fresh and new, they could begin the day again."
-- Sade (chapter 1)

Importance: This quote highlights the inability to return to the past after a traumatic experience and the difficulty of realizing that the trauma...