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Purple Hibiscus Quotes
20 of the best book quotes from Purple Hibiscus
01
″ Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Things Fall Apart
ᐧ
Purple Hibiscus
books
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Jaja Achike
characters
home
ᐧ
communion
ᐧ
family
ᐧ
chaos
concepts
02
″ It was hard to turn my head, but I did it and looked away. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Eugene Achike
characters
beaten
ᐧ
fathers
ᐧ
questioning
concepts
03
“We did not scale the rod because we ... could, we scaled it because we were terrified ... we couldn’t. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
character
high expectation
ᐧ
terrifying
ᐧ
fear
concepts
04
“Something from God was happening there.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
God
person
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Ifeoma
characters
change
ᐧ
joy
ᐧ
new
concepts
05
“When a house is on fire, you run out before the roof collapses on your head.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Ifeoma
character
abuse
ᐧ
escape
ᐧ
violence
concepts
06
“He was gracious, in the eager-to-please way that he always assumed with the ... white religious. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Eugene Achike
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
eagerness
ᐧ
superiority
ᐧ
white people
ᐧ
religion
concepts
07
“He was smiling ... He was smiling. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Ifeoma
ᐧ
Papa-Nnukwu
characters
Smiles
ᐧ
death
ᐧ
joy
concepts
08
“I was not sure what my laughter sounded like. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
character
laughter
ᐧ
dreams
ᐧ
unhappy families
concepts
09
“You could say anything at any time to anyone. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Ifeoma
characters
speak up
ᐧ
harsh rules
ᐧ
conversations
concepts
10
“The painting ... represented something lost, something I had never had, would never have. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Papa-Nnukwu
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
family trials
ᐧ
making connections
ᐧ
denying
ᐧ
painting
concepts
11
″ I did not even think to think what Mama needed to be forgiven for. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Mama
characters
forgiveness
ᐧ
pregnancy
ᐧ
miscarriage
concepts
12
“That’s a hibiscus, isn’t it, Aunty? ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
ᐧ
Ifeoma
ᐧ
Jaja Achike
characters
freedom
ᐧ
flowers
concepts
13
“Being defiant can be a good thing sometimes. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Jaja Achike
ᐧ
Ifeoma
characters
good
ᐧ
defiance
ᐧ
rebellion
concepts
14
“The old silence had broken and left us with the sharp pieces. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
character
change
ᐧ
family trials
ᐧ
oppression
concepts
15
“I meant to say I am sorry that Papa broke your figurines, but the words that came out were, ‘I’m sorry your figurines broke, Mama.’”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Mama
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
feel sorry
ᐧ
abuse
ᐧ
broken
ᐧ
family
concepts
16
“Mama used to tell Jaja and me that God was undecided about what to send, rain or sun. We would sit in our rooms and look out at the raindrops glinting with sunlight, waiting for God to decide.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
God
person
Purple Hibiscus
book
Kambili Achike
character
weather
ᐧ
nature
ᐧ
decisions
concepts
17
“I knew that when the tea burned my tongue, it burned Papa’s love into me. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Eugene Achike
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
burning
ᐧ
love
ᐧ
painful
ᐧ
tea
concepts
18
“Morality, as well as the sense of taste, is relative.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Obiora
character
comparison
ᐧ
morality
ᐧ
repression
concepts
19
“We did that often, asking each other questions whose answers we already knew. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Jaja Achike
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
answers
ᐧ
bottling up emotions
ᐧ
communication
concepts
20
“Silence hangs over us, but ... a different kind of silence, one that lets me breathe. ”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
author
Purple Hibiscus
book
Eugene Achike
ᐧ
Kambili Achike
characters
death
ᐧ
freedom
ᐧ
hope
ᐧ
sadness
concepts
Recommended quote pages
Winnie the Pooh
Gandalf
The Cat In The Hat
Mere Christianity
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Great Gatsby
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Dumbledore
Becoming
The Hunger Games
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Handmaid's Tale
The Jungle Book
home
communion
family
chaos
Kambili Achike
Jaja Achike
beaten
fathers
questioning
Eugene Achike
high expectation
terrifying
fear
Ifeoma
change
joy
new
abuse
escape
violence
eagerness
superiority
white people
religion
Smiles
death
Papa-Nnukwu
laughter
dreams
unhappy families
speak up
harsh rules
conversations
family trials
making connections
denying
painting
forgiveness
pregnancy
miscarriage
Mama
freedom
flowers
good
defiance
rebellion
oppression
feel sorry
broken
weather
nature
decisions
burning
love
painful
tea
comparison
Obiora
morality
repression
answers
bottling up emotions
communication
hope
sadness
View All Quotes
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