I have always thought, the secret purpose of the book tour is to make the writer hate the book he's written. And, as a result, drive him to write another book.

To be born again,' sang Gibreal Farishta tumbling from the heaveans, 'first you have to die. Ho ji! Ho ji! To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly Tat-taa! Takatun! How to ever smile again, if first you won't cry? How to win the darling's love mister, without a sigh?

It's true that the human body is more vulnerable than the products of the human mind. We need to protect artists and journalists people to allow them to work.

We cannot allow religious hooligans to place limiting points on thought.

Between shame and shamelessness lies the axis upon which we turn; meteorological conditions at both these poles are of the most extreme, ferocious type. Shamelessness, shame: the roots of violence.

I have been a film buff all my life and believe that the finest cinema is fully the equal of the best novels.

The Chinese are good at repression and can be pretty ruthless about it.