A war, with its attendant human suffering, must, when that evil is unavoidable, be made to fragment more than buildings: It must shatter the foundations of thought and re-create. Only in this way does every individual share in the cataclysm and understand the purpose of sacrifice. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
The Nation of Islam provides an antidote in the United States to fundamentalist Islam – which is why individuals from America have to go abroad to find radical teachings. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
One’s own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What happens in Darfur becomes an assault on my own community, and on me as an individual. That’s what the human family is all about. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
I like to say, ‘I spend one-third of my time in Nigeria, one-third in Europe or America, and one-third on a plane.’ Wole Soyinka Read Quote
I began writing early – very, very early… I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art festivals; I was involved in school plays; I wrote essays, so there was no definite moment when I said, ‘Now I’m a writer.’ I’ve always been a writer. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
Before you’re a writer, you’re a citizen, a human being, and therefore the weapons of the citizen are at your disposal to use or not use. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
An idyllic period of my existence was when I had a den attached to my home… a writing den, and no one had access to that unless they had their own special visa, applied for weeks in advance. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
Books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress the truth. Wole Soyinka Read Quote
