All Tahar Ben Jelloun Quotes
- Poetry is a form of mathematics, a highly rigorous relationship with words. Form
- People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this in… All
- At 21, I discovered repression and injustice. The army would shoot students with real bullets. Army
- An individual voice can be heard in a choir that otherwise sings in unison. This is something that is not excused. Choir
- Be vigilant, for nothing one achieves lasts forever. Achieve
- Beauty is first and foremost an emotion. Beauty
- I am a Moroccan writer of French expression. Expression
- For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing life and facing history. Facing
- I am a guest of the French language. My poems in French are born of my interaction with the French language, which is not the… Born
- I am glad to have found a readership, but one can’t write only what is likely to sell. A writer is not a shopkeeper. A… Creates
- I write about wounds, the eternal treasons of life. It's not very funny, but it's sincere. My commitment is to sincerity. Commitment
- My characters are driven by a passionate desire for justice. They are rebellious and incorruptible. Character
- We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of generalized mediocrity. We are suspended in the pit without touching… Arab
- My sensibility steers me toward writers who are out on their own. Bedtime
- I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer. Every Night
- I do not use the language of my people. I can take liberties with certain themes which the Arabic language would not allow me to… Allow
- We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out calmly and forcefully. We shall only be able to enter… Able
- We must stop posing as victims of the West and behaving negatively towards the West. We must participate with the West on an equal footing… Behaving
- I liked Sartre's views but not his writing. Inspirational
- Religion has to stay in the heart, not in politics. It is private. Funny
- My hope is that countries like Morocco will have investment to create work, so people don't have to leave. Countries
- It is impossible to disregard such an important medium as television. We should know how to use it, learn to work in it and express… Disregard
- It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to respect our neighbours and be respected in our turn. Accepting
- Intellectuals try to keep going. But their situation is very difficult. Those who have had the courage to voice their opposition have often paid a… Courage
- Poetry is not only a set of words which are chosen to relate to each other; it is something which goes much further than that… Chosen