We all go through struggles. We all have problems with self-esteem, with someone telling us that we aren’t good enough. Someone telling us what we can or cannot do. But not all are willing to stand up for ourselves, to tell those others that we are just as good as they are, or better. To tell them we can do anything they can. To show them. But Malala had the courage. She did this. Although she was punished for it, she was shot.

Malala expresses her struggles and her success. Her dreams and wishes. Everything she goes through, everything her family went through, everything her country went through. I learned so much about Pakistani culture, but also how her culture is different. I learned about her beliefs, and her countries beliefs, as well as others. I learned new view on perspective and I even gained a new respect for my own kind, knowing that someone can experience something so horrible and still turn out alright. Even better than alright, she turned out amazing. And then she wrote.

Hopefully, these five quotes bring you a small glimpse of the inspiration, emotion, and struggle that this book is full of. Hopefully, these quotes will make you think about perspective, make you consider others. Others beliefs. Others needs. Others battles.

1) “I had no idea what New York and America were... We did not realize then that 9/11 would change our world too, and bring war into our valley.” (Yousafzai 79)

I feel that this quote is very powerful, but not in the way you might think. It isn’t inspirational, or motivational or anything like that, but it makes the reader think of perspective. 9/11 is thought of as a US tragedy, a terrorist act on the great country of America. We never really think of it as a tragedy for anyone else. But what we haven’t realized is that we weren’t the only ones that were affected.

This section of the book is probably one of the ones that really made me think and have realizations. For example, it made me realize that when Osama bin Laden launched an attack on the US he wasn’t only trying to provoke the US, but maybe other countries as well. Maybe, he was even trying to spark another World War. His attacks brought devastation not only to the US but to his country and the ones surrounding it as well. I had never really thought of that until I read this book.

This quote also helped me realize the extent of this damage. She noted how 9/11 became the center of attention, the topic of every conversation, the weight on everyone's shoulders. Afghanistan’s government protected bin Laden, which caused American troops to be sent to Afghanistan. So, Pakistan stepped in. They were a double agent, though, “helping” both sides, although it was more of Pakistan taking advantage of the Americans, and helping bin Laden anyways. This also split the whole country into basically different sides. Some felt it was rightful revenge on the Americans, while others felt that those people in the World Trade Center were nothing but innocent people.

Overall, this quote just gave me a new angle on 9/11. She really made me as the reader contemplate other points of views and other countries problems. It really made realize that when one event occurs, it doesn’t just affect one country but several.

2) “I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children.” (Yousafzai 15)

I think this is one of the very many powerful quotes in Malala’s book. And throughout the book, she exposes her struggles that originate from this quote. The beliefs of her country caused many problems for her. One simple characteristic that she had no control over changed her life for the worst. Although, she didn’t let it be the worst.
She fought the stereotypes. She didn’t want to be the one hidden away behind a curtain, she didn’t want to just prepare food and give birth to children. She wanted to be more. So she became more. While most of her fellow girls and women didn’t attend school, but Malala went to school, and loved it. She also excelled at it. But the men in her village couldn’t see past the label. Soon, girls were forced to go through different doors than the boys. They even had a separate high school just for girls, but that wasn’t enough. The men of the village eventually made it hard for girls to even attend school. But this was just a tiny glimpse of what was to come for Malala.
Her father told her stories of the Taliban, the new government that took over in Afghanistan, burning down girl’s schools along the way. They forced women to wear burqas. Women were banned from laughing or wearing white shoes, for it was a man's color. Some were even beaten and jailed for wearing nail polish.

I feel that this quote just brings out the extent of her struggle. It really shows how she should have been a disappointment, but she wasn’t. She was loved and cherished. And instead of letting these stories bring her down, she embraced them. She decided she was going to be celebrated. She decided to become an enemy of the Taliban

3) “We felt like the Taliban saw us as little dolls to control, telling us what to do and how to dress. I thought if God wanted us to be like that He wouldn’t have made us all different.” (Yousafzai 172)

I feel that this quote goes along coincide with each other. But I do think they tell different stories of their own. The previous quote was about just the struggles and the stereotypes she had to deal with, but this quote is about her refusing to believe it. It is about her choosing to defy the beliefs of her government, which she would eventually pay for.

Malala was very brave in the sense that she spoke up against the Taliban. She knew how powerful they were and what they did to people who opposed, but she knew it was the right thing to do, and she stood up for what she believed in. That takes a lot of guts.

One thing I really like about this quote is how it connects to the reader. Everyone knows a woman, so they know someone who has probably been through or seen sexist actions. This helps the reader feel for Malala and makes her story even more intriguing.

I know personally, I could connect with this quote, not only because I’m a woman but because I can acknowledge the sexism that may or may not be happening today. I can acknowledge that girls have been treated unfairly in the past and that some still are in other countries. Through this sole piece of information, that quote and section of the book can connect to almost anyone.

4) “Peace in every home, every street, every village, every country – this is my dream. Education for every boy and every girl in the world. To sit down on a chair and read my books with all my friends at school is my right. To see each and every human being with a smile of happiness is my wish.” (Yousafzai 438)

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” (Disney). That is what this quote reminds me of. This is just truly inspiring. Malala started out with a dream and made it a reality. She dreamed of being able to read, be with her friends, be at school, all in peace, and without a worry. And she made it happen.

One thing that is even more inspiring than her ambition is her kindness. Her dream wasn’t only about herself, but it was for the world. For everyone. She had a dream for everyone to be treated the same, for there to be peace, to just learn. And she also made it happen for others too. She brought peace. And this isn’t just my opinion, but also the opinion of some very high up officials, all of which decided that Malala deserved a Nobel Peace Prize.
Over time, as more read her book and her speak, I think she will bring even more peace. I know she will keep working hard for it, she already has. Obviously, because it can’t be easy to write a whole book. She shows the dedication, and her future will pay off. We will all be better because of her. This quote is only opening up our minds to the future.

5) "Without honor, the world counts for nothing." (Yousafzai 15)
Honor - a privilege, to regard with great respect, to fulfill or keep. Without honor. We are nothing. We are the world, we make up the world. Without respect, without promise, we are nothing. We wouldn’t have this peace that Malala brings or anything that might resemble it.

This quote can mean a lot of different things. It could mean we are nothing, for we do not have honor. It could mean our future will fall apart without this honor. It could mean our present is already falling apart, for we are losing our honor. This quote means something for our past, our present, and our future. And we should learn from it.

We must honor our past. We must have a respect for our past, to learn from our mistakes so we don’t make them again. We must honor our present. We must keep our peace, keep the promise of the past as well. And we must honor our future. Realize that we have one and that we need to make everything right so that our future is fulfilled.

In general, this whole book is just one big inspirational quote. Not literally, of course, but it is true. We still have so much to learn, so much to interpret, so many perspectives. We must respect our past, fulfill our present, and realize the privilege of our future. But this book all comes back to one thing.

And now I’ll go back to the beginning of this piece. Hope. That is what this book is about. Malala had hope. She went through the trouble of being a woman in a man’s world. But she had her dreams. She had her goals. She would do anything to achieve those. She had a hope inside her that everything would turn out alright. And it did.