A modern civilization is only possible when it is accepted that singular beings exist and express themselves freely.

Beauty is first and foremost an emotion.

Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every day, but they're knocking on doors that are not open.

For me, poetry is a situation - a state of being, a way of facing life and facing history.

I love life in spite of all that mars it. I love friendship, jokes and laughter.

I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.

In the Arab world, there is no link between the cultural habits of peoples and the ways of thinking and creating of modern intellectuals. They are two separate worlds.

New ideas should confront old ideas. We must refer to the example of Europe. People have fought to make Europe what it is today. Freedom is not something that is served up on a plate.

Poetry is not only a set of words which are chosen to relate to each other; it is something which goes much further than that to provide a glimpse of our vision of the world.

Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.

The mistake we make is to attribute to religions the errors and fanaticism of human beings.

The question is, what are you ready to do to overcome poverty?

Until very recently there were three powerful dictatorships in Europe: Spain, Portugal and Greece. The future for these countries seemed totally blocked, and yet they have been reborn.

There is a gulf between the Arab peoples and Arab intellectuals.

We do not have many intellectuals who can speak out for us internationally. We have no writers who are recognized, respected and loved outside the Arab world.

We have no Arab intellectuals of international stature because we live in a state of generalized mediocrity. We are suspended in the pit without touching the bottom.

We have to talk in terms of making a clean break. We must do this to shock people and make them think. Later we must try to look for common ground.

We must have our say, not through violence, aggression or fear. We must speak out calmly and forcefully. We shall only be able to enter the new world era if we agree to engage in dialogue with the other side.

We must stop posing as victims of the West and behaving negatively towards the West. We must participate with the West on an equal footing in the reconstruction of the world.

We should cite particular breakthroughs in other Arab countries. But what is certain is that a long road lies ahead.