“It is obvious that taking the country from a state of war to being a lawful state won’t be easy.”

These are the multinationals, like General Motors and Nestle; these are the big industrial groups that weigh, on the monetary scale, much more than big countries like Egypt.

Let us all agree to die a little, or even completely so that African unity may not be a vain word

We trained them, we arranged for the weapons to reach them, we created networks.

Colonialism is known in its primitive form, that is to say, by the permanent settling of repressive foreign powers, with an army, services, policies.

In two years, there were 22 military coups d’etat, essentially in Africa and the third world. The coup d’etat of Algiers, in 1965, is what opened the path.

Algeria was therefore only the beginning of something that was in development: this is why I say that it’s the global capitalist system that finally reacted against us.

I can say now: all the combatants who participated in the fight for freedom in South America came to Algeria; it’s from there that all those who fought left.

At that precise moment, several countries were still colonised or had barely overcome colonisation. This was the case in practically all of Africa. We supported them.

We were but some tens of people throughout Algeria, a territory that is five times the size of France

Those who are leftists, once in power, are not different from other parties.

Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d’etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.

Peace does not include a vendetta; there will be neither winners nor losers.

Algeria is not breaking up.

I spent 24 and a half years in prison

In the past, we spoke of poverty, misery only in the south. Now there is a lot of misery, a lot of bad that creates victims in the north as well.

I’m optimistic because I’m pragmatic: Neither of the two sides, the military government nor the Islamic front, is capable of winning. If they continue to fight, they will both bleed to death.

Mankind apparently find it easier to drive away adversity than to retain prosperity.

It is easier to live through someone else than to become complete yourself.

Japanese is sort of a hobby of mine, and I can get around Japan with ease.

Let the people who never find true love keep saying that there’s no such thing. Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.

I thought I had reached a point in life where everything would be smooth. But it is not. It just gets more jagged and pitted and filled with turns that take you into the dark recesses of your mind. It never seems to get easy.

Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.

It’s easier to hurt someone and make them cry, than it is to dry their eyes.

Nothing comes easy when I’m in character, because everything I do in character, I take seriously.