Azar Nafisi

America was based on a poetic vision. What will happen when it loses its poetry? ”

The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream. ”

When I first left Iran at the age of 13, Iran had become such a shining star - it was the point to which all my desires and dreams returned. ”

Every culture has something to be ashamed of, but every culture also has the right to change, to challenge negative traditions, and create to new ones. ”

Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws against women in countries like Iran, no matter how benign their intentions, present a condescending view not just of the religion but also of women living in Muslim majority countries, as if the desire for choice and happiness is the monopoly of women in the west. ”

Once we know of atrocities we cannot remain silent, and knowledge inevitably leads to an urge to protect the innocent. ”

When I was teaching at the University of Tehran we were struggling against the implementation of the revolution rules. ”

Lots of times you can feel as an exile in a country that you were born in. ”

Religion was used as an ideology, as a system of control. When they forced the veil upon women, they were using it as an instrument of control in the same way that in Mao's China people were wearing Mao jackets and women were not supposed to wear any makeup. ”

I would like to say how much I resent people who say of the Islamic Republic that this is our culture - as if women like to be stoned to death, or as if they like to be married at the age of nine. ”