Tahar Ben Jelloun People Quotations

I do not use the language of my people. I can take liberties with certain themes which the Arabic language would not allow me to take.

To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing different programmes can make a bid for power.

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.

It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to respect our neighbours and be respected in our turn.

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.

The power of the word in Morocco belonged to men and to the authorities. No one asked the point of view of poor people or women.

People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this in their own way and in their own field, by hard, rigorous work.

My hope is that countries like Morocco will have investment to create work, so people don't have to leave.