The beauty and mystery of this world only emerges through affection, attention, interest and compassion . . . open your eyes wide and actually see this world by attending to its colors, details and irony.

I am nothing but a corpse now, a body at the bottom of a well.

I see Turkey's future as being in Europe, as one of many prosperous, tolerant, democratic countries.

I want to describe the psychological state of the people in a certain city.

To read a novel is to wonder constantly, even at moments when we lose ourselves most deeply in the book: How much of this is fantasy, and how much is real?

When you love a city and have explored it frequently on foot, your body, not to mention your soul, gets to know the streets so well after a number of years that in a fit of melancholy, perhaps stirred by a light snow falling ever so sorrowfully, you'll discover your legs carrying you of their own accord toward one of your favourite promontories

Censorship should never be allowed. One should be able to say anything. But I refuse to let politics be foisted on me.