And gradually they’re beginning to recognize the fact that there’s nothing more secure than a democratic, accountable, and participatory form of government. But it’s sunk in only theoretically, it has not yet sunk in completely in practical terms.
WOLE SOYINKALooking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there’s a lot of work to be done.
More Wole Soyinka Quotes
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Intolerance has always been with us, you know. The moment you have ideology, we have intolerance, whether it’s the secular ideology or, you know ideocratic ideology, which always brings with it some kind of intolerance.
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The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.
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Well, some people say I’m pessimistic because I recognize the eternal cycle of evil. All I say is, look at the history of mankind right up to this moment and what do you find?
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A tiger does not proclaim his tigritude, he pounces.
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But the ultimate lesson is just sit down and write. That’s all.
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Let’s say there are prospects for a new Nigeria, but I don’t think we have a new Nigeria yet.
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If man cannot, what god dare claim perfection?
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Looking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there’s a lot of work to be done.
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I am convinced that Nigeria would have been a more highly developed country without the oil. I wished we’d never smelled the fumes of petroleum.
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It is the human potentials that interest me. I travel and everywhere I go I am amazed at the presence of Nigerians. The intelligence, integrity, productivity, initiative.
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The media must be used effectively to reach the masses. You have to find a new language in which to address the people and demonstrate what is possible.
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History teaches us to beware of the excitation of the liberated and the injustices that often accompany their righteous thirst for justice.
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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.
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There’s a lot of insincerity about the actions of our legislators; they create distractions – like this anti-gay law you alluded to – and try to mobilise, to exacerbate people’s emotions. Until the legislators started making laws, people minded, generally, their own business.
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I believe that each writer must decide in which language he or she is most comfortable.
WOLE SOYINKA