I was 21 in 1968, so Im as much a child of the 60s as is possible to be. In those years the subject of religion had really almost disappeared the idea that religion was going to be a major force in the life of our societies, in the West anyway, would have seemed absurd in 1968. – Salman Rushdie
What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. – Salman Rushdie
The response of anybody interested in liberty is that we all have a say and the ability to have an argument is exactly what liberty is, even though it may never be resolved. In any authoritarian society the possessor of power dictates, and if you try and step outside he will come after you. – Salman Rushdie
Ive never had very high regard for therapists. I owe my health, my mental survival, to my friends and loved ones. – Salman Rushdie
Basically, fundamentalism is a modern phenomenon. In the same way that Hitler evoked a mythological religion of German purity and the glory of the past, the Islamists use religion to evoke emotions and passions in people who have been oppressed for a long time in order to reach their purpose. – Azar Nafisi
By the way, movies are like sporting events in that youre as good as the movie youre in. You can sit in a room for 20 years and go do a movie and you can just kill in it and you move to the head of the line again. By the same token, you can do five movies a year and if theyre dreck, its nothing. – Albert Brooks