Mahmoud Darwish: I will live, even if life betrays me and I will dream, even if dreams abandon me

Mia Schwab writes:

Mahmoud Darwish lived much of his life in exile, stripped of his citizenship and forced to navigate a world that often felt designed to erase his identity. Despite decades of displacement and political turmoil, he became a global symbol of endurance, proving that the most radical thing a person can do is refuse to be broken by their circumstances.

I will live, even if life betrays me and I will dream, even if dreams abandon me.

This sentiment is more than mere optimism. It is a philosophy of stubborn persistence. Darwish suggests that even when reality fails to meet our needs or live up to its promises, our commitment to existing and imagining remains our final, untouchable freedom. It is a reminder that while we cannot always control what life does to us, we remain the sole masters of our internal resolve.

What is one dream you refuse to give up, regardless of how the world looks right now?

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Jerusalem After The Rain

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Even after the rain, the sun is always reflected in every drop.
So too, hope always lives in the hearts of a people who cherish their memory, their land, and their love.

On her facebook page she says:

I narrate “the life, traditions and memory of the Palestinian people through my art.”

The painting is incredible in the use of color, painting and detail, itching out a buzzing community around Jerusalem even under the bright rain. The imagination is stark but realistic

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Asaf (Emergency) Cafe, Jaffa in 1937

Door of the Asaf (Ambulance Cafe) in Jaffa in 1937. From right to left: Haj Mustafa Al-Aasi, Sabri Al-Qarm, Othman Zeidan, and standing Mahmoud Al-Qarm.

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Jerusalem After The Rain

  • By marwan
  • August 2, 2026
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