Quotes by Naguib Mahfouz

“It's fantastic the way these young men act. Why, they scarcely have a penny to their names, yet they see no reason why they shouldn't get married and populate the whole alley with children who get ...”

“The barber is young and Mr. Alwan is old; the barber is of the same class as Hamida and Mr. Alwan is not. The marriage of a man like Alwan to a girl like your daughter is bound to bring problems wh...”

“If money is the aim and object of those who squabble for power, then there is clearly no harm in money being the objective of the poor voters.”

“Kirsha thought of Hitler as the world's greatest bully; indeed his admiration for him stemmed from what he heard of his cruelty and barbarity. He wished him success, viewing him like those mythical...”

“What hopeless wretches we are. Our country is pitiful and so are the people. Why is it that the only time we find a little happiness is when the world is involved in a bloody war? Surely it's only ...”

“Some consider that such tragedies afflicting apparently blameless people are signs of revengeful justice, the wisdom of which is beyond the understanding of most people. So you will hear them say t...”

“He and Raifa each lived in hell, in a world of tedium.”

“Why do people laugh, dance in triumph, feel recklessly secure in positions of power? Why do they not remember the true place in the scheme of things and their inevitable end?”

“[....] was struck by the idea of a woman's weakness is her emotions, and that her relationships with men should be rational and calculated. Life is precious, with vast possibilities, limitless hori...”

“In the Harafish, dreams are carried on the shoulders of ordinary people.”

“The Harafish is a reflection of the eternal struggle between good and evil.”

“The Harafish is a labyrinth where the paths of the lowly and the noble intertwine.”