I love Sufism as I love beautiful poetry, but it is not the answer. Sufism is like a mirage in the desert. It says to you, come and sit, relax and enjoy yourself for a while. – Naguib Mahfouz
Todays interpretations of religion are often backward and contradict the needs of civilization. – Naguib Mahfouz
I defend both the freedom of expression and societys right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things. – Naguib Mahfouz
But I liked Yeats! That wild Irishman. I really loved his love of language, his flow. His chaotic ideas seemed to me just the right thing for a poet. Passion! He was always on the right side. He may be wrongheaded, but his heart was always on the right side. He wrote beautiful poetry. – Chinua Achebe