Throughout human history, the apostles of purity, those who have claimed to possess a total explanation, have wrought havoc among mere mixed-up human beings.

Quote by Salman Rushdie

Topics: Salman Rushdie Quotes

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;...

If I were asked for a one-sentence sound bite on religion, I would say I...

If I were asked for a one-sentence sound bite on religion, I would say I...

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,...

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.

I used to say, 'There is a God-shaped hole in me.' For a long time...

I used to say, 'There is a God-shaped hole in me.' For a long time...

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,...

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...

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...

Rock and roll music - the music of freedom frightens people and unleashes all manner...

Rock and roll music - the music of freedom frightens people and unleashes all manner...

Whores and writers, Mahound. We are the people you can't forgive.

Whores and writers, Mahound. We are the people you can't forgive.

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.

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.

Such is the miraculous nature of the future of exiles: what is first uttered in...

Such is the miraculous nature of the future of exiles: what is first uttered in...

Our lives teach us who we are.

Our lives teach us who we are.

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...

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

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

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

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

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...

When thought becomes excessively painful, action is the finest remedy.

When thought becomes excessively painful, action is the finest remedy.

I hate admitting that my enemies have a point.

I hate admitting that my enemies have a point.