Quote of the day by Asghar Farhadi: ‘Each person makes their own choice, but my spirit is meant to stay in Iran…’

For Asghar Farhadi, homeland is not just a place on a map; it is where conscience lives. While many artists find freedom in distance, Farhadi has chosen proximity: to the people he writes about, to their contradictions, and to the quiet, everyday tensions that shape Iranian life. Staying, for him, is less about endurance and more about belonging, a belief that stories carry their deepest truth when told from within, even when the ground beneath is uncertain and has always been on the brink of a revolution.

Today’s quote is from Asghar Farhadi, one of the living filmmaking legends, on the choice of choosing a homeland.

Quote by Asghar Farhadi: ‘Each person makes their own choice, but my spirit is meant to stay in Iran, especially with the work that I do, and with the emotional connection I have with the country – with all its difficulties, this is why I stay’


Also Read: Word of the Day: Metamorphosis

Meaning of the quote

Asghar Farhadi’s quote says a lot about a sense of moral responsibility, identity, and commitment to his homeland. When he says, “Each person makes their own choice,” Farhadi acknowledges that leaving Iran can be a valid and understandable decision for many, especially given the country’s political and social challenges. He does not judge those who choose exile.

“My spirit is meant to stay in Iran.” With this phrase, he probably emphasises that his sense of purpose, creativity, and identity are rooted in the country itself. His work as a filmmaker draws directly from Iranian society, its people, and their lived realities.

The reference to an “emotional connection” highlights that his decision is not just professional but deeply personal. Despite acknowledging Iran’s “difficulties”, Farhadi chooses to remain because he feels his presence and voice matter more from within than from outside.

Overall, the quote conveys that Farhadi sees staying in Iran as both a personal calling and an artistic responsibility—to bear witness, to tell authentic stories, and to engage with his society from the inside rather than observing it from afar.

Asghar Farhādī quotes

Other famous quotes by Asghar Farhādī, compiled by Brainy Quote:

• If you give an answer to your viewer, your film will simply finish in the movie theatre. But when you pose questions, your film actually begins after people watch it. In fact, your film will continue inside the viewer.

• When I decide to write a story, I don't think too much about what I want it to be, I just let things come naturally and this is how it turns out. It's just how my subconscious works.

• There is no privilege in restriction. In other words, I disagree with people who say restriction makes you more creative. I think that's a misleading slogan. I might have been more creative without them than with them.

About Asghar Farhādī

Asghar Farhādī, born in 1972 in Humāyūnshahr, Iran, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most influential and internationally acclaimed filmmakers, known for his morally layered storytelling and modern realist approach to cinema. His work stands out for its quiet intensity, where everyday conflicts unfold into complex ethical dilemmas, reflecting the social and emotional fabric of Iranian life.

Farhādī began his creative career in theater and television before transitioning to filmmaking in the early 2000s. His first feature, Low Heights (2002), co-written with Ibrāhīm Hātamī Kīyā, marked a significant departure from Iran’s dominant war-centered narratives, shifting focus toward the social and psychological challenges of post-war society. The film signaled Farhādī’s early interest in ordinary people navigating extraordinary moral crossroads.

He followed this with Dancing in the Dust (2003) and Beautiful City (2004), films that explored themes of poverty, family responsibility, justice, and forgiveness. These early works earned critical acclaim for their emotional restraint and narrative depth, establishing Farhādī as a filmmaker deeply attuned to ethical ambiguity rather than clear moral resolutions. In his later works and probably his series of greatest films, A Separation (2011), About Elly (2009), and The Salesman (2016) deserve a mention.