People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this in their own way and in their own field, by hard, rigorous work.

I am glad to have found a readership, but one can’t write only what is likely to sell. A writer is not a shopkeeper. A writer creates an imaginary world that he transmits to others.

The mistake we make is to attribute to religions the errors and fanaticism of human beings.

Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.

There is an important erotic element in A Thousand and One Nights, which is one of the keys to understanding the Orient.

It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to respect our neighbours and be respected in our turn.

We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out calmly and forcefully. We shall only be able to enter the new world era if we agree to engage in dialogue with the other side.