The difference between memoir and autobiography, as far as I see it, is that a memoir is there primarily to tell one particular story, whereas an autobiography tries to be a full account of a life.

'The Satanic Verses' was denied the ordinary life of a novel. It became something smaller and uglier: an insult.

The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.

I get a lot of letters - a lot of letters saying, who knew that you were funny?

You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.

I fell victim to the temptation of every autobiographer, to the illusion that since the past exists only in one's memories and the words which strive vainly to encapsulate them, it is possible to create past events simply by saying they occurred.

If you actually want to change your world, there is a better way of doing it than blowing yourself up.