Sometimes, when you're so sad you don't know what to do, it helps to be angry.
The Koran and the laws of all civilized nations legislate against the vilification of religions.
The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will consider Arab literature also. We deserve that recognition.
Only the poor are handicapped by honor.
Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We are condemned to work with upstarts, clowns who no doubt got their training in a circus and then turned to journalism as the appropriate place to display their tricks.
I love Sufism as I love beautiful poetry, but it is not the answer. Sufism is like a mirage in the desert. It says to you, come and sit, relax and enjoy yourself for a while.
Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.
Yeah, I can't separate the art from the music and the music from the art. I think that stems from going to school for film first, and kind of stumbling onto music as my career.
First ask why, and decide whether something is worth doing. Only after that should you set about doing it as well as you can.
I've spent much of my life being attuned to watching for an image or a phrase that can trigger what might be a poem - could become a poem.
When my dad was badly weakened by the flu and my mom wanted to call an ambulance to take him to the emergency room, he wouldn't go unless he could shave first and change into a nice shirt and a pair of slacks.