Wole Soyinka

The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.

A tiger doesn't proclaim his tigritude, he pounces.

Romance is the sweetening of the soul
With fragrance offered by the stricken heart.

Some of us – poets are not exactly poets. We live sometimes – beyond the word.

The man dies in all those that keep silent.

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?

Don't take shadows too seriously. Reality is your only safety. Continue to reject illusion.

The hand that dips into the bottom of the pot will eat the biggest snail.

Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress truth.

Today, the constituency of fear has become much broader, far less selective.

If you believe in democracy, are you not thereby obliged to accept, without discrimination, the fall-outs that come with a democratic choice, even if this means the termination of the democratic process itself?