I learned that life will go through changes - up and down and up again. It's what life does.
Ben OkriWe can redream this world and make the dream come real. Human beings are gods hidden from themselves.
Ben OkriReading, therefore, is a co-production between writer and reader. The simplicity of this tool is astounding. So little, yet out of it whole worlds, eras, characters, continents, people never encountered before, people you wouldnโt care to sit next to in a train, people that donโt exist, places youโve never visited, enigmatic fates, all come to life in the mind, painted into existence by the readerโs creative powers. In this way the creativity of the writer calls up the creativity of the reader. Reading is never passive.
Ben OkriA man must be able to hold his drink because drunkenness is sometimes necessary in this difficult life.
Ben OkriDon't despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish. Because the best things are always growing in secret.
Ben OkriOne of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity. We had a bit of a rollercoaster life with some really challenging financial periods. He was always unshaken, completely tranquil, the same ebullient, laughing, jovial man.
Ben Okri