But when you’re deprived of it for a lengthy period then you value human companionship. But you have to survive and so you devise all kinds of mental exercises and it’s amazing. – Wole Soyinka
Human life has meaning only to that degree and as long as it is lived in the service of humanity. – Wole Soyinka
An excessive amount of my time is taken with political involvement. It’s unavoidable; that’s my temperament. – Wole Soyinka
The phenomenon of creativity, we know, is closely related to the ability to yoke together separate, and even seemingly incompatible, matrices. – Wole Soyinka
There’s no way to escape the culture that has evolved, from which we ourselves have evolved. Naturally, we stress it, break it up, reassemble it to suit our own needs. But it is there – a source of vital strength. – Wole Soyinka
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 Soyinka
I like to say, ‘I spend one-third of my time in Nigeria, one-third in Europe or America, and one-third on a plane.’ – Wole Soyinka
All religions accept that there is something called ‘criminality.’ And criminality cannot be excused by religious fervour. – Wole Soyinka
An idyllic period of my existence was when I had a den attached to my home… a writing den, and no one had access to that unless they had their own special visa, applied for weeks in advance. – Wole Soyinka
Those nations that say it’s a crime to preach your religion are making a terrible mistake. All they’re doing is driving underground other forms of spiritual intuitions and practices. – Wole Soyinka
Probably to me the greatest singer, female voice, is Billie Holiday. And one of the most moving for me, I don’t know why – maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe because my life is one of constant partying, whatever. – Wole Soyinka
In the world of literature, I see prizes as more of a duty to the craft itself, rather than as something for the individual. – Wole Soyinka
We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where. – Wole Soyinka
One has a responsibility to clean up one’s space and make it livable as far as one’s own resources go. That includes not only material resources, but psychological resources: the commitment of time and a portion of your mind to something when you’d rather be doing something else. – Wole Soyinka
There’s a kind of dynamic quality about theater and that dynamic quality expresses itself in relation to, first of all, the environment in which it’s being staged; then the audience, the nature of the audience, the quality of the audience. – Wole Soyinka
Trading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and especially on the African continent. – Wole Soyinka
I consider the process of gestation just as important as when you’re actually sitting down putting words to the paper. – Wole Soyinka