From the time that the Iran-Iraq war started, there was a large number of sorrowful news that reached the Imam’s ears which he would never divulge to us. Occasionally when I would go to his room, I would notice that somebody else had relayed news to him before I did that had made him unhappy and so I pleaded to know what was bothering him. He would become uneasy and respond hesitatingly: “Why do you insist that I mention to you a subject that would make you unhappy as well?” whereas if he had some good news to narrate, he would mention it as soon as I entered his room and say: “come and listen to this news that I have.” The Imam would share glad tidings with everybody whereas he would keep the bad news to himself.
Name of the narrator: Fatemeh Tabatabaie, special issue of ‘Etelaat’ daily dated 04, June, 1990
Title of the Book: Impressions and Memoirs about Imam Khomeini's Practical Behaviour, vol. 1, chapter one, page 54