Naguib Mahfouz Quotes

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

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

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.

paraphrasing.."Science is the language of the intellect of society. Art is language of the entire human personality.

I was a government employee in the morning and a writer in the evening.

Today's interpretations of religion are often backward and contradict the needs of civilization.

We used the Western style to express our own themes and stories. But don't forget that our heritage includes The Thousand and One Nights.

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.

I believe society has a right to defend itself, just as the individual has the right to attack that with which he disagrees.

Literature should be more revolutionary than revolutions themselves; writers must find the means to continue to be critical of the negative elements in the sociopolitical reality.

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.

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.

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

I've never worked in politics, never been a member of an official committee or a political party.

One effect that the Nobel Prize seems to have had is that more Arabic literary works have been translated into other languages.

I wake up early in the morning and walk for an hour. If I have something to write, I prefer to write in the morning until midday, and in the afternoon, I eat.

Madness is the acme of intelligence.

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.

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

Home is not where you were born; home is where all your attempts to escape cease.

Only the poor are handicapped by honor.

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.

There are no heroes in most of my stories. I look at our society with a critical eye and find nothing extraordinary in the people I see.

You know what I'm afraid of? That God is sick of us.

It's not surprising that truly humanitarian manifestos originate frequently in minority circles or with people whose consciences are troubled by the problems of minorities.

We wont develop until we accept that reading is a vital necessity.