Sufi poetry is, in a sense, self-help poetry about how to live a decent life, how to deal with your mortality.

NYC doesn't have a big sign saying "You must love diversity and the rights of all people." And that's not what makes you love diversity in NYC or anywhere. What makes you love diversity is because you live in it and you experience it.

She was struggling against a current that brought her inside herself.

The ban on the burkini, which is basically a wetsuit, seems particularly ridiculous.

It is not surprising that most Pakistanis do not support America's bombardment of Afghanistan. The Afghans are neighbours on the brink of starvation and devastated by war. America has shown itself to be untrustworthy, a superpower that uses its values as a scabbard for its sword.

What used to help us to cope with transience was stuff like, extended families all living in one place, or very strong religious beliefs, or a tribe that would outlive you. That stuff is getting weaker.

When people talk about the death of the novel, they are speaking of the need for the birth of something different.