I shall seeThe hour of death draw near to me,Hope, blossoming within my heart. . . .
If you want to move people, you look for a point of sensitivity, and in Egypt nothing moves people as much as religion.
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.
I could do terrible things to people who dump unwanted animals by the roadside.
True happiness is impossible without solitude. . . . I need solitude in my life as I need food and drink and the laughter of little children. Extravagant though it may sound, solitude is the filter of my soul. It nourishes me, and rejuvenates me. Left alone, I discovered that I keep myself good company.
Nothing is easy, but who wants nothing?
I am not a person who can really sit around and think about regrets because with every bad experience that you have, there is weirdly something good that comes from it.