Akhil Sharma Quotes

Powerful Akhil Sharma for Daily Growth

About Akhil Sharma

Akhil Sharma is an acclaimed American novelist and short-story writer, whose powerful prose and vivid storytelling have earned him numerous accolades. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on January 15, 1973, to Indian immigrants, Sharma spent the first few years of his life in India before moving with his family to the United States at age six. Raised primarily in Illinois, Sharma's experiences as an immigrant have been significant influences on his writing. Sharma attended Stanford University, where he studied creative writing under Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson. His debut novel, "The End of Your Life Book Club" (2012), won the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The story revolves around a man who takes care of his comatose wife while their teenage son reads books aloud to them, exploring themes of love, loss, and the power of reading. Sharma's second novel, "Family Life" (2004), is a semi-autobiographical account of his family's experiences as immigrants in the United States and the aftermath of a tragic event that changes their lives forever. The book won the 2005 California Book Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. It also marked Sharma's first collaboration with his longtime editor, Gary Fisketjon, who has since worked on all of his books. Sharma's short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker and Granta. He is currently an associate professor of creative writing at Rutgers University-Newark. Despite his busy schedule, Sharma continues to produce powerful and thought-provoking works that resonate with readers around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Fear is a normal reaction. But cowardice is not."

This quote emphasizes that experiencing fear is a natural human response, but failing to act despite that fear out of timidity or lack of courage is cowardice. It suggests that it's important to confront our fears rather than allowing them to control us, encouraging bravery and resilience in the face of adversity.


"You were never alone when you had stories."

The quote by Akhil Sharma, "You were never alone when you had stories," suggests that sharing or having personal narratives serves as a source of companionship and connection with others. Stories have the power to express our experiences, emotions, and thoughts, creating an unspoken bond between storytellers and listeners. Through storytelling, we can empathize with each other, find common ground, and build relationships that transcend physical distance or isolation. Essentially, stories function as a universal language that helps us feel less alone in the world.


"What we love about stories is that they're always coming to an end, but life isn't."

This quote suggests that stories provide a sense of closure or finality, unlike real life. The ending of a story can be satisfying, offering resolution, understanding, and a sense of completion. Life, on the other hand, is perpetual, lacking a clear-cut ending. The quote highlights the comfort and appeal found in narratives, while acknowledging that the complexities and uncertainties of life demand ongoing engagement and interpretation. It serves as a reminder that stories help us process and make sense of our experiences, even though real life may never truly find resolution or an 'end'.


"Every person who is part of your life has come there in order to teach you something."

This quote suggests that every individual we encounter in our lives serves a purpose, offering us valuable lessons and experiences that contribute to our personal growth and development. These lessons can range from learning empathy, patience, resilience, or understanding different perspectives, ultimately shaping who we are as individuals. Essentially, the people around us are teachers, guiding us on our journey of self-discovery and personal transformation.


"The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

This quote by Akhil Sharma emphasizes the significant impact of precision in communication. The "almost-right" word may convey an idea that is almost correct but falls short, similar to a lightning bug (a weak, flickering light). On the other hand, the "right" word illuminates with clarity and intensity, like a real lightning bolt, effectively conveying the intended message or idea. In life and especially in writing, it's essential to choose our words wisely to ensure maximum impact and understanding.


'Family Life' is a blueprint of my life. It was horrible and physically gruesome in a way the book doesn't attempt to capture. It was emotionally very bleak.

- Akhil Sharma

Book, My Life, Very, Gruesome

My parents are deeply pious Hindus.

- Akhil Sharma

Parents, Deeply, Pious, Hindus

We are often unaware of how much we love the people around us. This is true for everyone. We may think that we love certain people, but we don't know how profoundly we love them.

- Akhil Sharma

Love, Think, May, Unaware

When you read Chekhov, everything has an even gray tone. When you read 'Family Life', everything has an even white tone. It is almost like when you paint on paper, and you can see the paper through the paint.

- Akhil Sharma

Through, Tone, Read, Chekhov

We are all human beings, immigrant or non-immigrant. We all feel fear. We all love and become confused when we don't act as well as we would like to. We all get depressed and have feelings of uselessness. All of these things are true and have always been true.

- Akhil Sharma

Love, Feel, Been, Feelings

During my breakdown, many things, tiny things I had not even registered before, had begun to torment me with guilt. I used to steal Splenda from Starbucks. I would go into a Starbucks whenever I needed the sweetener and would take a fistful of packets, even when I didn't buy a coffee.

- Akhil Sharma

Before, Steal, Torment, Registered

I don't really revise. I tend to rewrite.

- Akhil Sharma

Tend, Revise, Really, Rewrite

I think immigrants, when they're stressed, think that there's something wrong with America, when it's really just difficult to leave a country and all that you know.

- Akhil Sharma

Think, Country, I Think, Immigrants

When someone gets a success, and we, too, have done good work and sometimes even better work than the person who has just triumphed, we wonder: 'Why did success pass me by?'

- Akhil Sharma

Work, Good Work, Pass, Wonder

Writing about what happened to my brother and to my family was awful. It was hard to look back at how much suffering there was and at how certain bad situations were made worse by our decisions.

- Akhil Sharma

Suffering, Bad, Made, Situations

I had written a book. For various reasons, the publishing industry had decided that my book was going to be 'important.' The novel had taken me 12-and-a-half years to write, and after being with the book for so long, I had no real perspective on the merits or demerits of what I had written. I hoped it was good, but feared that it wasn't.

- Akhil Sharma

Reasons, Feared, Hoped, Merits

I thought it was quite wonderful coming to America. I think immigration is a very difficult thing, but America is a very wonderful place.

- Akhil Sharma

Think, Immigration, Very, Difficult Thing

I am shamelessly biased about the people in my life, and it makes sense to me that other people are the same.

- Akhil Sharma

My Life, Other, About, Biased

I think one can be more honest in fiction than in a memoir.

- Akhil Sharma

Think, Fiction, I Think, Memoir

It's easy when you grow up in fear to act out of fear. I don't want to embrace that fear; I prefer to be kind.

- Akhil Sharma

Grow, Embrace, Prefer, Grow Up

I think that books are fundamentally educational.

- Akhil Sharma

Think, I Think, Books, Fundamentally

My wife is the most wonderful woman in the world, and my parents are the most extraordinary father and mother.

- Akhil Sharma

Mother, Woman, Most, Extraordinary

Seven years into writing a novel, I started to lose my mind. My thirty-seventh birthday had just come and gone, the end of 2008 was approaching, and I was constantly aware of how little I had managed to accomplish.

- Akhil Sharma

Birthday, Seven, Approaching, Accomplish

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