Quote of the day by Elif Shafak: 'Do not go with the flow. Be the flow' and how to break passivity

Quote of the day by Elif Shafak Elif Shafak is a British-Turkish novelist, essayist, and academic. She is one of the most widely read Turkish authors in the world, with her work translated into nearly 60 languages. Her writing bridges Eastern and Western storytelling, weaving together history, Sufi mysticism, philosophy, and social critique. Beyond her literary output, she holds a PhD in political science and is a prominent advocate for human rights, gender equality, and freedom of speech. In 2025, she was appointed President of the Royal Society of Literature.In one of her most memorable works, The Forty Rules of Love, Shams of Tabriz, the wandering dervish, says these profound words. "Fret not where the road will take you. Instead, concentrate on the first step. That’s the hardest part and that’s what you are responsible for. Once you take that step let everything do what it naturally does and the rest will follow. Do not go with the flow. Be the flow."Go with the flow is passiveWhen people say "go with the flow," they usually mean passivity—letting circumstances carry you along like driftwood in a river, often out of fear or helplessness. Shams flips this idea on its head: Going...