Life in the Middle East is quite different from other places.

I don't think that architecture is only about shelter, is only about a very simple enclosure. It should be able to excite you, to calm you, to make you think.

You have to really believe not only in yourself; you have to believe that the world is actually worth your sacrifices.

There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?

Architecture is like writing. You have to edit it over and over so it looks effortless

You really have to have a goal. The goal posts might shift, but you should have a goal. Know what it is you want to find out.

The beauty of the landscape - where sand, water, reeds, birds, buildings, and people all somehow flowed together - has never left me.

I have always appreciated those who dare to experiment with materials and proportions.

Architecture is how the person places herself in the space. Fashion is about how you place the object on the person.

Yes, I'm a feminist, because I see all women as smart, gifted and tough.

I think about architecture all the time. That's the problem. But I've always been like that. I dream it sometimes.

man can not live on chocolate .... but women can

Sometimes you see beautiful people with no brains. Sometimes you have ugly people who are intelligent, like scientists.

I've got a theory: if you love your workspace, you'll love your work a little more.

I think it is going to take another fifty years for the report to be in. If I were to give a preliminary report, I would say that [Margaret Thatcher] wrecked this country.

I've always admired your ability to be unilaterally irritating.

I didn't grow up really wanting to be an actor. I don't remember ever not being an actor.

In life, it's between choosing risk and striving for greatness, or risking nothing and being certain of mediocrity

Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.

What a fortunate fellow I am, I kept telling myself. Nobody has ever had such a lovely time as this!

The deepest hunger of [a child's] human heart is to be understood, for understanding implicitly affirms, validates, recognizes and appreciates the intrinsic worth of another.