Ishmael Beah Quotes

Powerful Ishmael Beah for Daily Growth

About Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah (born December 8, 1980) is a Sierra Leonean-American author who gained international recognition for his memoir "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." Born in Mabruka, Sierra Leone, Beah experienced the brutal realities of civil war at an early age. He was forced to flee his home and join the military as a child soldier when he was only twelve years old. After six harrowing years as a fighter, Beah was eventually rescued by UNICEF and rehabilitated. His experiences inspired him to write "A Long Way Gone," published in 2007. The book provides a powerful account of his life as a child soldier, the trauma he endured, and his eventual journey to safety and healing. The memoir was widely acclaimed for its raw, honest portrayal of war and its impact on children. It has been translated into over thirty languages and has been adapted into a play. In 2008, Beah moved to the United States and continued his education at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. He later graduated with a degree in political science. Since then, he has become an advocate for child soldiers and works extensively on their behalf. In 2013, he co-founded the Ishmael Beah Foundation, which seeks to support children who have been affected by war. In addition to his foundation work, Beah is also a sought-after public speaker and has given talks at various prestigious institutions such as Harvard University and TEDx. His second book, "Radiance of Tomorrow," published in 2015, is a novel set in post-war Sierra Leone. It explores the challenges faced by young people trying to rebuild their lives after conflict. Beah's work continues to shed light on the experiences of child soldiers and inspire change.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"When you kill a man, you kill quickly."

This quote by Ishmael Beah emphasizes the profound impact that taking a life has, suggesting that it should not be done casually or without consideration. It underscores the idea that death is permanent and irreversible, implying that when one takes another's life, they are inflicting an unforgivable harm, which cannot be undone. The statement highlights the gravity of violence and the importance of peace and respect for human life.

"The first time I held a gun in my hands, I was twelve years old."

This quote by Ishmael Beah highlights the reality of child soldiery, a devastating consequence of war. At the tender age of 12, he was forced to handle a gun, symbolizing his loss of childhood innocence, forced recruitment into conflict, and the harsh brutalities that come with it. It serves as a poignant reminder of the severe impact of violence on vulnerable children in war-torn societies.

"I learned that if you want something, you have to fight for it."

This quote by Ishmael Beah emphasizes personal responsibility and determination in achieving one's goals. It suggests that individuals must be proactive and persistent in their pursuit of desires, as attainment often requires effort and overcoming obstacles. It serves as a reminder that success doesn't come easily; rather, it is the result of hard work, resilience, and perseverance.

"But I also knew that no matter what happened, I would not let go of the hope that things could change."

This quote by Ishmah Beah signifies resilience, optimism, and a strong will to endure even in the face of adversity. Despite experiencing difficult circumstances, Beah clung to the belief that better days were possible - embodying hope as an anchor during challenging times. It's a powerful reminder that despite the struggles we may encounter, holding onto hope for change can inspire us to persevere and ultimately transform our lives.

"When I think back now to those days in the bush, it's like I was someone else."

This quote suggests that Ishmael Beah, author of "A Long Way Gone," experienced such profound transformation during his time as a child soldier that he feels disconnected from the person he was before. The traumatic events he endured have created a significant rift in his personal identity, leaving him with a sense of detachment and alienation when reflecting on his past. This quote underscores the impact of war and its long-lasting effects on children who are forced to live through such unimaginable experiences.

I believe in having a more open mind and including others who don't share your faith and having dialogue with them. And just having a pure heart and being a good person can bring you closer to God. Because once you believe in one particular religion fully and not others, that requires you to start disliking people who don't share your views.

- Ishmael Beah

Good Person, Believe, Bring, Faith

I had a very simple, unremarkable and happy life. And I grew up in a very small town. And so my life was made up of, you know, in the morning going to the river to fetch water - no tap water, and no electricity - and, you know, bathing in the river, and then going to school, and playing soccer afterwards.

- Ishmael Beah

My Life, Small, Very, Tap

There's so much focus and interest about what happens during war, but very little about what happens when people return to homes and communities that have been destroyed. There's a renewal that happens, but it's a very difficult one.

- Ishmael Beah

Been, Very, About, Renewal

We all have that capacity to lose our humanity when circumstances force us to do so. It's not specific to people who live in Africa or Latin America or Asia. And equally, we are capable of regaining ourselves.

- Ishmael Beah

Capable, Equally, Our, Latin

For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a living and for whom the bush is the most welcoming community, is a child lost forever for peace and development. I contest this view. For the sake of these children, it is essential to prove that another life is possible.

- Ishmael Beah

Prove, Another, Bush, Essential

It's exhausting writing nonfiction, particularly when it's personal. It's tiring, always speaking about things that are not necessarily fun retelling.

- Ishmael Beah

Always, About, Particularly, Nonfiction

Whenever I speak at the United Nations, UNICEF or elsewhere to raise awareness of the continual and rampant recruitment of children in wars around the world, I come to realize that I still do not fully understand how I could have possibly survived the civil war in my country, Sierra Leone.

- Ishmael Beah

Country, United Nations, UNICEF

What happens in the context of war is that, in order for you to make a child into a killer, you destroy everything that they know, which is what happened to me and my town. My family was killed, all of my family, so I had nothing.

- Ishmael Beah

Nothing, Town, Which, Context

Shakespeare is absolutely big in Africa. I guess he's big everywhere. Growing up, Shakespeare was the thing. You'd learn monologues and you'd recite them. And just like hip-hop, it made you feel like you knew how to speak English really well. You had a mastery of the English language to some extent.

- Ishmael Beah

Big, Some, Extent, Monologues

My mother tongue, Mende, is very expressive, very figurative, and when I write, I always struggle to find the English equivalent of things that I really want to say in Mende. For example, in Mende, you wouldn't say 'night came suddenly'; you would say 'the sky rolled over and changed its sides.'

- Ishmael Beah

Very, I Write, Equivalent, Changed

As a kid in Africa, you were so connected to nature itself because you went farming, watched the moon out at night, observed how the sky was different, and how the birds chanted different songs in the evening and the morning.

- Ishmael Beah

Nature, Sky, Africa, Observed

We all find joy and radiance and a reason to move on even in the most dire of circumstances. Even in chaos and madness, there's still a beauty that comes from just the vibrancy of another human spirit.

- Ishmael Beah

Reason, Circumstances, Move, Dire

I was one of those children forced into fighting at the age of 13, in my country Sierra Leone, a war that claimed the lives of my mother, father and two brothers. I know too well the emotional, psychological and physical burden that comes with being exposed to violence as a child or at any age for that matter.

- Ishmael Beah

Country, Psychological, Exposed

I guess what I'd like to say is that people in Sierra Leone are human beings, just like Americans. They want to send their kids to school; they want to live in peace; they want to have their basic rights of life just like everyone else. I think we all owe an obligation to support people who want to do that.

- Ishmael Beah

Life, I Think, Sierra, Send

I had gone to a talent show - I was interested in American hip-hop music - with my older brother, to another town, and my town was attacked. I went from having an entire family to the next minute not having anything. It was very painful.

- Ishmael Beah

Next, Older Brother, Very, Hip-Hop

I grew up in Sierra Leone, in a small village where as a boy my imagination was sparked by the oral tradition of storytelling. At a very young age I learned the importance of telling stories - I saw that stories are the most potent way of seeing anything we encounter in our lives, and how we can deal with living.

- Ishmael Beah

Small, Very, Telling, Encounter

After I wrote my memoir, 'A Long Way Gone,' I was a bit exhausted. I didn't want to write another memoir; I felt that it might not be sane for one to speak about himself for many, many, many years in a row. At the same time, I felt the story of 'Radiance of Tomorrow' pulling at me because of the first book.

- Ishmael Beah

Book, Exhausted, Another, Row

In early 1993, when I was 12, I was separated from my family as the Sierra Leone civil war, which began two years earlier, came into my life.

- Ishmael Beah

My Life, Civil War, Which, Early

The thing that really gets to me is that countries are in the news only when things get out of hand. That's when it's newsworthy. When the war ends, it's not newsworthy anymore; no one wants to think about it. Actually, the aftermath is the most important part. It's when people have to rebuild.

- Ishmael Beah

Part, About, Important Part, Hand

I grew up as a Muslim. I went to an Islamic elementary school. Most of my community was Muslim, so I grew up praying five times a day.

- Ishmael Beah

Community, Muslim, Islamic, Five

A lot of people, when they say 'forgive and forget,' they think you completely wash your brain out and forget everything. That is not the concept. What I think is you forgive and you forget so you can transform your experiences, not necessarily forget them but transform them, so that they don't haunt you or handicap you or kill you.

- Ishmael Beah

Forgive, I Think, Haunt, They Say

The places I come from have such rich languages, such a variety of expression. In Sierra Leone we have about fifteen languages and three dialects. I grew up speaking about seven of them.

- Ishmael Beah

Expression, Fifteen, Sierra, Dialects

I believe that there is a God, and coming from an African tradition, I believe also that there are gods.

- Ishmael Beah

Gods, African, Also, Tradition

As a child soldier, your rights are constantly violated.

- Ishmael Beah

Soldier, Rights, Your, Violated

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