Manicheanism is like a vacuum, it is an either or situation that curtails or destroys the development of liberatory thought.

Counter-violence against the colonial regime is liberatory because it is an act, and by acting, the absolute power of colonialism, internalized by the colonized, is shaken.

Violence is the first means and the last resort to pacify a people, and thus is something we need to continue to consider after the gunfire has ended.

Many of the democratization projects are a real threat to real democracy.

The grand schemes of liberation, however indistinct and amorphous, can quickly be compromised, consumed by petty disputes and local hatreds.

The military defeat of an oppressive regime is important, but it does not answer our problems. It is where our problems begin, since social change cannot be reduced to a military solution.

The revolts themselves open up something very new. One has to be aware, or listen, or open one's mind to what are the new beginnings.

Fifty years is the long time to think about a thinker's relevance or to think of the relevance of their work to a contemporary period.

The Syrian people do not recognize themselves in the elite politics of the Muslim Brotherhood or the left, each of which is looking for an external power rather than the people's own self-activity.

If you understand the desire of a blooming flower, you will be able to understand the meaning of life.

The state of no being is a divine-being.

Well, the most important thing about Islam is that we have to differentiate between two kinds of Islam. The first one is the institution of Islam... second, the culture of Islam.

Tell a thousand people to draft a letter, let them debate every phrase, and see how long it takes and what you get.

To be tempted and indulged by the city's most brilliant chefs. It's the dream of every one of us in love with food.

Some forty years of experience in my field as a scholar and as a teacher have given me great confidence mixed with greater humility.

No music is vulgar, unless it is played in a way that makes it so.

Obviously, in my twenties, a lot of downtime was spent having a good time, which I don't regret; that was what I needed to do to get some things out of my system.

Being open to the concept that globalisation is only 10-20% complete leaves room for some expectation that there might be more gains to be achieved from further integration.

Nigeria has its problems, nobody denies that, but there is a surge of spiritual, I would say, Christian dynamics that are awesome.