Naguib Mahfouz Quotes

Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arab writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. An internationally renowned writer, he was born in Egypt. Read more about this literary legend.

• "Frankly, I am one of those people who have prepared my life well."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "I started writing while I was a little boy. Maybe it's because I was reading a lot of books I admired, and thought that I would like to write something like that someday. Also, my love for good writing pushed me."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "I wake up early in the morning and walk for an hour. If I have something to write, I prefer to write in the morning until midday, and in the afternoon, I eat. At night, I prefer to sit and watch television. Thursdays and Fridays I consider my holiday, when I meet my friends and my literary colleagues."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "If the urge to write should ever leave me, I want that day to be my last."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "She woke at midnight. She always woke up then without having to rely on an alarm clock. A wish that had taken root in her awoke her with great accuracy. For a few moments she was not sure she was awake. Images from her dreams and perceptions mixed together in her mind. She was troubled by anxiety before opening her eyes, afraid sleep had deceived here. Shaking her head gently, she gazed at the total darkness of the room. There was no clue by which to judge the time."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will consider Arab literature also. We deserve that recognition."
  - Naguib Mahfouz
  
  
• "The real malady is fear of life, not of death."
  - Naguib Mahfouz