I was a westerner in Iran, an Iranian in the West. I had no identity. I didn't even know anymore why I was living.

Life is too short to be lived badly.

The real war is not between the West and the East. The real war is between intelligent and stupid people.

All big changes of the world come from words.

Drawing is the first language of the human being before writing. It's a transcription of how the human being sees reality, not reality itself.

When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind all dictators' repression.

Culture and education are the lethal weapons against all kinds of fundamentalism.

My mother always told me I had to do 100 times better than a man. I had to work hard at maths, and learn four languages.

The world is not about Batman and Robin fighting the Joker; things are more complicated than that. And nothing is scarier than the people who try to find easy answers to complicated questions.

The best thing I ever did in my life was to ask, 'Do I like everybody?' And the answer was, 'No.' So why should everybody like me? If people are against me, so what? I'm against them too.

Nothing's worse than saying goodbye. It's a little like dying.

Can death be sleep, when life is but a dream, And scenes of bliss pass as a phantom by?---"On death

"Reverence for parents" stands written among the three laws of most revered righteousness.

When I imagine God creating each one of us and planting a purpose deep in our hearts, I never imagine that purpose being mediocrity.

I walk through the seasons and always the birds are singing and screaming and keening for love When you're with me it seems so absurd that I should be jealous of the jay and the dove.

Many priceless things can be bought.

Apothegms are the most infallible mirror to represent a man truly what he is.

Oh God. She probably thinks we were off doing—you know—romantic type, um, things—

What inspires a poem for me is usually a moment.

You may have crap that wants to drag you down, but if you really like what you're doing, then there's always a silver lining.

Ordinarily if an actor gets chosen for the lead in a film, he or she has already built up a repertoire, and everyone knows what he or she is capable of.