"We told her to sit with us so we could share her sadness."
Dohuk, Iraq —
"We told her to sit with us so we could share her sadness."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"Back in Syria, I sold antiques and Orientals. I had all sorts of things in my shop: glass vases, old stamps, coins from the Roman and Ottoman empire, valuable laces, antique furniture. But they beat me with rifles and knocked out my teeth. Then they burned my store to the ground."
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"Back in Syria, I sold antiques and Orientals. I had all sorts of things in my shop: glass vases, old stamps, coins from the Roman and Ottoman empire, valuable laces, antique furniture. But they beat me with rifles and knocked out my teeth. Then they burned my store to the ground."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"After they beat me, I heard shots. And I walked to the shop next door, and found my neighbor dead on the floor. He was one of the nicest men in the town. Every day he would put out food for the cats. I would tell him: 'You must stop feeding the cats, they are overrunning my shop.' But he would never stop feeding them. He would tell me: 'I have to feed them. Or they will die.'"
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"After they beat me, I heard shots. And I walked to the shop next door, and found my neighbor dead on the floor. He was one of the nicest men in the town. Every day he would put out food for the cats. I would tell him: 'You must stop feeding the cats, they are overrunning my shop.' But he would never stop feeding them. He would tell me: 'I have to feed them. Or they will die.'"
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"What are your hopes for them?"<br />"We left our hopes back in Syria."
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"What are your hopes for them?"
"We left our hopes back in Syria."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"Our house was next to a checkpoint for the government, so we thought it was safe. There were snipers around, but we thought they knew us. They'd seen us everyday. But one day the electricity got very weak. The television was still working, but the refrigerator and washing machine cut off, so my brother went into the yard to check it. And then we heard a scream. It wasn't exactly a scream, more like an 'Ahhhh!' And I ran outside. And there he was."
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"Our house was next to a checkpoint for the government, so we thought it was safe. There were snipers around, but we thought they knew us. They'd seen us everyday. But one day the electricity got very weak. The television was still working, but the refrigerator and washing machine cut off, so my brother went into the yard to check it. And then we heard a scream. It wasn't exactly a scream, more like an 'Ahhhh!' And I ran outside. And there he was."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"This one likes photos too much. If he takes one more photo, I will break his camera. But don't translate that."
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"This one likes photos too much. If he takes one more photo, I will break his camera. But don't translate that."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"We're trying to get to Grandma's."
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan —
"We're trying to get to Grandma's."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"We were engaged for six months, but her parents made her marry a richer man." <br />"What's the last thing you said to her?"<br />"I told her: 'I've done all that I can do. I wish you happiness in your life.'"
Petra, Jordan —
"We were engaged for six months, but her parents made her marry a richer man."
"What's the last thing you said to her?"
"I told her: 'I've done all that I can do. I wish you happiness in your life.'"
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"He lived with his mother in Gaza when he was very young. One night, I talked to him on the phone before bedtime, and he told me he was wearing three pairs of pants to bed. I said: 'Three pairs of pants? Why aren't you in your pajamas?' He told me: 'Because I want my body to hold together if a bomb falls on me.'"
Petra, Jordan —
"He lived with his mother in Gaza when he was very young. One night, I talked to him on the phone before bedtime, and he told me he was wearing three pairs of pants to bed. I said: 'Three pairs of pants? Why aren't you in your pajamas?' He told me: 'Because I want my body to hold together if a bomb falls on me.'"
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"When I graduated from high school, I went straight to work, to help pay for my brother's school. I never resented it, because I knew he was more intelligent than me, and he deserved it. But now he has a great job in Australia, and I wish that I'd gone to college. But you know what? That same brother married into a family with two sisters. He married the older sister. And at the wedding, I met the younger sister, we danced, and now we are married. Her name means 'angel,' and she is my angel. And I tell her every day that she's better than being a millionaire."
Dhana, Jordan —
"When I graduated from high school, I went straight to work, to help pay for my brother's school. I never resented it, because I knew he was more intelligent than me, and he deserved it. But now he has a great job in Australia, and I wish that I'd gone to college. But you know what? That same brother married into a family with two sisters. He married the older sister. And at the wedding, I met the younger sister, we danced, and now we are married. Her name means 'angel,' and she is my angel. And I tell her every day that she's better than being a millionaire."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"How did I become a community leader? Every time there's a wedding, I go to say 'Congratulations.' Every time there's a funeral, I go to say: 'I'm sorry.'"
Al-Salt, Jordan —
"How did I become a community leader? Every time there's a wedding, I go to say 'Congratulations.' Every time there's a funeral, I go to say: 'I'm sorry.'"
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"What happened to your arm?"<br />"I was walking down the stairs and looking at the stars."
Amman, Jordan —
"What happened to your arm?"
"I was walking down the stairs and looking at the stars."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"I clean the streets. I used to work as a lifeguard at a fancy hotel on the Dead Sea, but I lost my job. I brought some of the mud from the beach to my cousin because it is good for your skin. My manager said: 'Hey! We can sell that! You're stealing!'"
Amman, Jordan —
"I clean the streets. I used to work as a lifeguard at a fancy hotel on the Dead Sea, but I lost my job. I brought some of the mud from the beach to my cousin because it is good for your skin. My manager said: 'Hey! We can sell that! You're stealing!'"
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York
"She raised us on her own. So when I graduated, I viewed it more as her accomplishment than mine."
Amman, Jordan —
"She raised us on her own. So when I graduated, I viewed it more as her accomplishment than mine."
Brandon Stanton/Humans of New York