I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things.

It is simply not part of my culture to preserve notes. I have never heard of a writer preserving his early drafts.

My wife thought I deserved it, but I always thought the Nobel a Western prize.

Insults are the business of the court.

If you want to move people, you look for a point of sensitivity, and in Egypt nothing moves people as much as religion.

Today's interpretations of religion are often backward and contradict the needs of civilization.