Djaïli Amadou Amal

“What an old person sees while sitting, a child, even if he gets up, will not see!”

“Seduce him with your generous behavior, your pleasant presence, your tasty cuisine. Show him that no woman will ever be able to surpass you. The advantage of polygamy is that it allows you to test his love and your power over him. You are his first wife. All those who follow will never be as precious as you. None will be able to live what you have lived. None will be able to give him children as you have given him. You are the privileged one and you will always remain so.”

“At the end of the patience, there is the sky”

“Treat your husband like a child. Tame him like the lion you have tamed. Be patient, cunning, intelligent. And he will never be able to separate from you. This is the secret to keeping a husband. No amulet could beat it.”

“We only die when our time on earth is over. A time already written by the Creator from the first breath of life. We cannot advance or rewind this fateful moment. Why then lament the implacable decision of Allah?”

“If you have been able to tame a lion, it is not your husband, a poor man, who will surpass you. Act exactly the same way with him and he will be yours forever. If you have been able to obtain these whiskers, it is because you have had the best qualities that a woman can have: patience and cunning. Take care of your husband like a child. Tame him like this lion that you have tamed. Be patient, cunning, intelligent. And he will never be able to separate from you. This is the secret to attaching a husband to yourself. No amulet would be worth it.”

“I am now sure of myself and my place. I will never let anyone take it. I remain serene. No matter what wife comes, I will fight. No matter what weapons she uses, I will still win the battle.”

“But that day there was a pen, I took it and started writing. After a while, a certain calm came over me, I felt better. Maybe that was a survival instinct.”