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There is only one home to the life of a river-mussel; there is only one home to the life of a tortoise; there is only one shell to the soul of man: there is only one world to the spirit of our race. If that world leaves its course and smashes on boulders of the great void, whose world will give us shelter?

— Wole Soyinka Death and the King's Horseman (1975)

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More quotes by Wole Soyinka

The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.

Is there now a streak of light at the end of the passage, a light I dare not look upon?

Death and the King's Horseman (1975)

Books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress truth.

The Man Died (1972)

Romance is the sweetening of the soul With fragrance offered by the stricken heart.

The Lion and the Jewel (1959)

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't going away

The Man Died (1972)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Wole Soyinka (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.