51 quotes
He and Raifa each lived in hell, in a world of tedium.
The Harafish (1977)
According to Islamic principles, when a man is accused of heresy, he is given the choice between repentance and punishment.
Naguib Mahfouz in: Gary Dexter (2010)
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?
The Harafish (1977)
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
Michael J. Gelb (1996)
It is something worth picking from the thrash-can the alluring experience of the working days.
Sire, after you, no one from your seed shall sit upon the throne of Egypt.
Khufu's Wisdom (1939)
It was amazing that in this country where people allowed emotion to guide their politics they approached love with the precision of accountants.
Mahfouz (1957)
The Harafish is a reflection of the eternal struggle between good and evil.
The Harafish (1977)
You always act impulsively, Said, without thinking, but you mustn't rush this time; you must wait until you've arranged things, then swoop like an eagle.
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
They think my God and I are defeated. But he never betrays not does he accept defeat.
Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth (1985)
In the Harafish, dreams are carried on the shoulders of ordinary people.
The Harafish (1977)
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.
Midaq Alley (1947)
There's a lot of intelligence in his eyes. His heart is as spotless as yours. You'll find he'll turn out, with God's will, a truly good man."
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
She's forgotten too, that woman who sprang from filth, from vermin, from treachery and infidelity.
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
If there was a dog in the house—other than its owner, of course—it would now fill the universe with barking.
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
The Harafish is a labyrinth where the paths of the lowly and the noble intertwine.
The Harafish (1977)
It's inconceivable that there should ever be an appropriate atmosphere for me to hear talk like this. You have no respect for Fahmy's memory.'"
Palace of Desire (1957)
He [Kirsha] was a narcotics peddler and accustomed to doing his business under a veil of darkness. Normal life had eluded him and he had become a prey to perversions.
Midaq Alley (1947)
God did not intend religion to be an exercise club.
to Naguib Mahfouz in: Thorntize (2009)
A city of silence and truth, where success and failure, murderer and victim, come together, where thieves and policemen lie side by side in peace for the first and last time.
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)