I don't feel guilty about expressing myself in French; nor do I feel that I am continuing the work of the colonizers.

Quote by Tahar Ben Jelloun

Topics: Tahar Ben Jelloun Quotes

Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.

Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.

I am a guest of the French language. My poems in French are born of...

I am a guest of the French language. My poems in French are born of...

I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and...

I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and...

People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out...

People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out...

Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.

Egypt has suffered more ordeals than the other countries to get where it is.

For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing...

For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing...

My characters are driven by a passionate desire for justice. They are rebellious and incorruptible.

My characters are driven by a passionate desire for justice. They are rebellious and incorruptible.

I have written about the dispossessed, immigrants, the condition of women who do not enjoy...

I have written about the dispossessed, immigrants, the condition of women who do not enjoy...

The mistake we make is to attribute to religions the errors and fanaticism of human...

The mistake we make is to attribute to religions the errors and fanaticism of human...

My sensibility steers me toward writers who are out on their own.

My sensibility steers me toward writers who are out on their own.

To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing...

To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing...

Religion has to stay in the heart, not in politics. It is private.

Religion has to stay in the heart, not in politics. It is private.

Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every...

Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every...

We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of...

We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of...

We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out...

We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out...

It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to...

It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to...

Be vigilant, for nothing one achieves lasts forever.

Be vigilant, for nothing one achieves lasts forever.

New ideas should confront old ideas. We must refer to the example of Europe. People...

New ideas should confront old ideas. We must refer to the example of Europe. People...

The intellectual, the man of thought, doubt and analysis, should give the best of himself.

The intellectual, the man of thought, doubt and analysis, should give the best of himself.

Poetry is a form of mathematics, a highly rigorous relationship with words.

Poetry is a form of mathematics, a highly rigorous relationship with words.