"It was amazing that in this country where people allowed emotion to guide their politics they approached love with the precision of accountants."

“According to Islamic principles, when a man is accused of heresy, he is given the choice between repentance and punishment.”

“rare privilege of entering a national psychology, in a way that thousands of journalistic articles or television documentaries could not achieve.”

“Voices were blended and intermingled in a tumultuous swirl around which eddied laughter, shouts, the squeaking of doors and windows, piano and accordion music, rollicking handclaps, a policeman's bark, braying, grunts, coughs of hashish addicts and screams of drunkards, anonymous calls for help, raps of a stick, and singing by individuals and groups.”

“Naguib Mahfouz on aucpress.com”

“God did not intend religion to be an exercise club.”

“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”