Naguib Mahfouz Quotes


When will the state of the country be sound?... When its people believe that the end result of cowardice is more disastrous than that of behaving with integrity. Naguib Mahfouz CowardiceWeakness 100
If you want to move people, you look for a point of sensitivity, and in Egypt nothing moves people as much as religion. Naguib Mahfouz Religion 85
I am the son of two civilizations that at a certain age in history have formed a happy marriage. The first of these, seven thousand years old, is the Pharaonic civilization; the second, one thousand four hundred years old, is the Islamic civilization. Naguib Mahfouz History 84
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. Naguib Mahfouz Education 81
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 Poetry 77
I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace. Naguib Mahfouz Peace 71
At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic. Naguib Mahfouz Age 70
Events at home, at work, in the street - these are the bases for a story. Naguib Mahfouz Home 70
Today's interpretations of religion are often backward and contradict the needs of civilization. Naguib Mahfouz Religion 68
I found myself in a sea in which the waves of joy and sorrow were clashing against each other. Naguib Mahfouz Living 64
Insults are the business of the court. Naguib Mahfouz Business 64
The writer interweaves a story with his own doubts, questions, and values. That is art. Naguib Mahfouz Art 63
If the urge to write should ever leave me, I want that day to be my last. Naguib Mahfouz Last 56
God did not intend religion to be an exercise club. Naguib Mahfouz Funny 52
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. Naguib Mahfouz Wisdom 51
I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things. Naguib Mahfouz Society 50
I was a government employee in the morning and a writer in the evening. Naguib Mahfouz Government 50
There are no heroes in most of my stories. I look at our society with a critical eye and find nothing extraordinary in the people I see. Naguib Mahfouz Society 47
I believe society has a right to defend itself, just as the individual has the right to attack that with which he disagrees. Naguib Mahfouz Society 47
We are like a woman with a difficult pregnancy. We have to rebuild the social classes in Egypt, and we must change the way things were. Naguib Mahfouz Change 46
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. Naguib Mahfouz Arab 45
History is full of people who went to prison or were burned at the stake for proclaiming their ideas. Society has always defended itself. Naguib Mahfouz Society 45
I've never worked in politics, never been a member of an official committee or a political party. Naguib Mahfouz Politics 41
If we reject science, we reject the common man. Naguib Mahfouz Science 36
At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic. Naguib Mahfouz age 33

Showing 1 to 25 of 25 entries

Previous1Next

Naguib Mahfouz Quotes

Search Result