199 Quotes by Wole Soyinka

I grew up in an atmosphere where words were an integral part of culture.

Well, the first thing is that truth and power for me form an antithesis, an antagonism, which will hardly ever be resolved. I can define in fact, can simplify the history of human society, the evolution of human society, as a contest between power and freedom.

Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.

But when you're deprived of it for a lengthy period then you value human companionship. But you have to survive and so you devise all kinds of mental exercises and it's amazing.

I consider the process of gestation just as important as when you're actually sitting down putting words to the paper.

There are different kinds of artists and very often, I'll be very frank with you, I wish I were a different kind.

See, even despite pious statements to the contrary, much of the industrialized world has not yet come to terms with the recognition of the fallacy of what I call the strong man syndrome.

Education is lacking in most of those who pontificate.

I don't really consider myself a novelist, it just came out purely by accident.