Doubt, it seems to me, is the central condition of a human being in the twentieth century.

Quote by Salman Rushdie

Topics: Salman Rushdie Quotes

Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.

Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.

One of the extraordinary things about human events is that the unthinkable becomes thinkable.

One of the extraordinary things about human events is that the unthinkable becomes thinkable.

What distinguishes a great artist from a weak one is first their sensibility and tenderness;...

What distinguishes a great artist from a weak one is first their sensibility and tenderness;...

In this world without quiet corners, there can be no easy escapes from history, from...

In this world without quiet corners, there can be no easy escapes from history, from...

The acceptance that all that is solid has melted into the air, that reality and...

The acceptance that all that is solid has melted into the air, that reality and...

Be sure that you go to the author to get at his meaning, not to...

Be sure that you go to the author to get at his meaning, not to...

A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore...

A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore...

Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall.

Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall.

Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.

Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.

Names, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried,...

Names, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried,...

The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in...

The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in...

It is very, very easy not to be offended by a book. You just have...

It is very, very easy not to be offended by a book. You just have...

Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than the facts.

Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than the facts.

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist

When thought becomes excessively painful, action is the finest remedy

When thought becomes excessively painful, action is the finest remedy

The real risks for any artist are taken in pushing the work to the limits...

The real risks for any artist are taken in pushing the work to the limits...

I hate admitting that my enemies have a point.

I hate admitting that my enemies have a point.

What one writer can make in the solitude of one room is something no power...

What one writer can make in the solitude of one room is something no power...

A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides,...

A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides,...

Our lives are not what we deserve; they are, let us agree, in many ways...

Our lives are not what we deserve; they are, let us agree, in many ways...