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Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka Quotes

Writer

Wole Soyinka is a renowned Nigerian writer, playwright, poet, and political activist. Born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Soyinka is known for his profound social commentary and critical literary works. His writings span various forms, including drama, poetry, and fiction, often exploring themes of race, class, colonialism, and African identity.

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All Thinking Knows Humans People Writing World Ifs Nigeria Corruption Political Way Believe Courses Facts Kind Literature Culture Feels Form Mean

Famous Wole Soyinka Quotes

“Suddenly the world has run amok and left you alone and sane behind”

World Running Left Behinds Sane

Book:Collected Plays

Source: Collected Plays

“It's my duty to fight those who have chosen to belong to the party of death, those who say they receive their orders from God somewhere and believe they have a duty to set the world on fire to achieve their own salvation.”

World Believe Order Fighting Party Fire Achieve Duty Salvation Chosen

Author:Wole Soyinka

“Next to the commodities of corruption, and religion, however, Nigeria is the world capital of rumour mongering.”

World Next Corruption Commodity Nigeria Rumours

Author:Wole Soyinka

“Mythology can be used, and has been used, even to re-state, you know, the very urgent problems of the world.”

Knows World Has Beens States Problem Used Mythology Urgent

Author:Wole Soyinka

“I rarely use mythology for its own sake because, as a theatre person, the mythological figures are in fact humanity to the ninth degree and Yoruba mythology in particular has fascination of being one of the most humanised mythologies in the world.”

World Persons Facts Use Humanity Figures Particular Degrees Sake Theatre Mythology Fascination

Author:Wole Soyinka

“Intolerance has become, I think, the reigning ideology of the world today, the intolerance versus intolerance and it's taken on lethal proportions.”

Thinking World Today Taken Ideology Proportion Intolerance Versus World Today

Author:Wole Soyinka

“We live in the real world - we live within a certain history of the plague that has landed on us.”

World Real Real World Plague

Author:Wole Soyinka

“There is only one home to the life of a river-mussel; there is only one home to the life of a tortoise; there is only one shell to the soul of man: there is only one world to the spirit of our race. If that world leaves its course and smashes on boulders of the great void, whose world will give us shelter?”

Ifs Men World Giving Soul Home Spirit Courses Race Rivers Void Shelter Shells Boulders Tortoises

Author:Wole Soyinka

“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.”

Men World Strong Term Contrary Statements Despite Recognition Pious Fallacy Syndromes Strong Man

Author:Wole Soyinka

“The arrogant elimination of the Djaouts of our world must nerve us to pursue our own combative doctrine, namely: that peaceful cohabitation on this planet demands that while the upholders of any creed are free to adopt their own existential absolutes, the right of others to do the same is thereby rendered implicit and sacrosanct. Thus the creed of inquiry, of knowledge and exchange of ideas, must be upheld as an absolute, as ancient and eternal as any other.”

World Ideas Planets Demand Eternal Absolutes Ancient Doctrine Pursue Peaceful Our World Nerves Arrogant Creeds Existential Inquiry Elimination Implicit Cohabitation

Author:Wole Soyinka

“We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where.”

World Matter Humanity Appeals Materialism

Author:Wole Soyinka

“Being the first black Nobel laureate, and the first African, the African world considered me personal property. I lost the remaining shreds of my anonymity, even to walk a few yards in London, Paris or Frankfurt without being stopped.”

World Firsts Lost Black Walks Property London Paris Yards Nobel Anonymity Frankfurt

Author:Wole Soyinka

“No man beholds his mother's womb Yet who denies it's there? Coiled To the navel of the world is that Endless cord that links us all To the great Origin. If I lose my way. The trailing cord will bring me to the roots.”

Ifs Men World Way Mother Loses Roots Deny Endless My Way Links Womb Cords Navel

Book:Six Plays

Source: Six Plays

About the Author

Born: July 13, 1934
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 164

Related Topics

Thinking Knows Humans People Writing World Ifs Nigeria Corruption Political Way Believe Courses Facts Kind Literature Culture Feels Form Mean

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Climate of Fear: The Quest for Dignity in a Dehumanized WorldRelated source material

Collected PlaysRelated source material

Conversations with Wole SoyinkaRelated source material

Critical Perspectives on Wole SoyinkaRelated source material

Death and the King's HorsemanRelated source material

Early PoemsRelated source material

Selected poemsRelated source material

Six PlaysRelated source material

The Open Sore of a Continent: A Personal Narrative of the Nigerian CrisisRelated source material

You Must Set Forth at Dawn: A MemoirRelated source material

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