In Egypt today most people are concerned with getting bread to eat. Only some of the educated understand how democracy works.

It is simply not part of my culture to preserve notes. I have never heard of a writer preserving his early drafts.

According to Islamic principles, when a man is accused of heresy, he is given the choice between repentance and punishment.

A priest's life is spent between question and answer-- or between a question and the attempt to answer it. The question is the summary of the spiritual life.

Only the poor are handicapped by honor.

Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.

I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace.