Quotes By Naguib Mahfouz

I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace.

The Koran and the laws of all civilized nations legislate against the vilification of religions.

At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.

It is simply not part of my culture to preserve notes. I have never heard of a writer preserving his early drafts.

The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will consider Arab literature also. We deserve that recognition.

I was suffering from a peculiar and persistent sense that I was being pursued, and also the conviction that under the political order of the times, our lives had no meaning.

If you want to move people, you look for a point of sensitivity, and in Egypt nothing moves people as much as religion.

As the tension eases, we must look in the direction of agriculture, industry and education as our final goals, and toward democracy under Mr Mubarak.

Without literature my life would be miserable.

I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.

I was reading a lot of books I admired, and thought that I would like to write something like that someday.

My wife thought I deserved it, but I always thought the Nobel a Western prize.

I believe society has a right to defend itself, just as the individual has the right to attack that with which he disagrees.

An allegory is not meant to be taken literally. There is a great lack of comprehension on the part of some readers.

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.

According to Islamic principles, when a man is accused of heresy, he is given the choice between repentance and punishment.

The writer interweaves a story with his own doubts, questions, and values. That is art.