I was afraid of marriage. I had the impression married life would take up all my time. I saw myself drowning in visits and parties. No freedom.

The Nobel Prize has given me, for the first time in my life, the feeling that my literature could be appreciated on an international level.

"Death by love is fairer by far than death by illness", said Amenhotep III.

The Koran and the laws of all civilized nations legislate against the vilification of religions.

In the calculus of good deeds you have the most to gain.

We are like a woman with a difficult pregnancy. We have to rebuild the social classes in Egypt, and we must change the way things were.

When you spend time with your friends, what do you talk about? Those things which made an impression on you that day, that week ... I write stories the same way. Events at home, in school, at work, in the street, these are the bases for a story. Some experiences leave such a deep impression that instead of talking about them at the club I work them into a novel.