Ben Okri

I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable. ”

Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique, in. It's the only space. ”

To sustain your belief through situations that completely undermine it is quite something. ”

I am not fighting for success, just to get more beauty out of myself and share it with more people. ”

I was born left-handed, but I was made to use my other hand. When I was writing 'Famished Road,' which was very long, I got repetitive stress syndrome. My right wrist collapsed, so I started using my left hand. The prose I wrote with my left hand came out denser, so later on I had to change it. ”

I know that human beings are capable of anything. ”

The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell. ”

We have fallen into this very mean description of humanity. Naturalism in fiction is too reductive in its definition of human beings. ”

If you are working in an office, where do you find the time to write a novel? But you can finish a short story in five pages. Furthermore, a short story is a perfect place to learn the craft. ”

I study people all the time. For some reason, we're not very good at seeing what's there or hearing what we're hearing. ”