American - Writer | 1970 -
One of the dark truths about dictators - and it applies to Gaddafi - is that on some level, they love their people. But it is a strange love. It says, 'I love you for me; I don't love you for you.' That rhymes with a certain kind of Libyan father who was always certain about what was good for those around him. Those fathers lose in the end.
Hisham Matar
LoveGoodFatherI Love YouPeople
The Arab Spring, with all of its failings and failures, exposed the lie that if we are to live, then we must live as slaves. It was an attempt to undermine not only the orthodoxy of dictatorship but also an international political orthodoxy where every activity must be approved by the profit logic of the 'ledger.'
LiveLieSpringPoliticalLogic
Like all novelists, I'm interested in the filters between reality and the imagination.
ImaginationRealityFiltersLike
Being my father's son is a kind of privilege.
FatherSonKindPrivilegeBeing
Throughout my entire life, I have lived in the shadow of the dictatorship. It denied me safety and security.
LifeShadowMeSafetySecurity
Growing up in the Libya of the 1970s, I remember the prevalence of local bands who were as much influenced by Arabic musical traditions as by the Rolling Stones or the Beatles. But the project of 'Arabisation' soon got to them, too, and western musical instruments were declared forbidden as 'instruments of imperialism.'
Growing UpRememberGrowingProject
The laws of the lowly gangster govern Qaddafi and his sons.
GangsterLawsGovernSonsHisLowly
The Arab Spring is a powerful and compelling response not only to an age of tyranny but also to the remnant chains of imperial influence.
AgeSpringInfluencePowerfulChains
From before I was born, we Arabs have been caught between two forces that, seemingly, cannot be defeated: our ruthless dictators, who oppress and humiliate us, and the cynical western powers, who would rather see us ruled by criminals loyal to them than have democratically elected leaders accountable to us.
BornDefeatedTwoSeeCynicalUs
In the end, madness is worse than injustice, and justice far sweeter than freedom.
FreedomJusticeEndMadnessSweeter
I am, by instinct, wary of revolutions. The gathering of the masses fills me with trepidation.
I AmMeGatheringMassesInstinct
We have defeated Gaddafi on the battlefield; now we must defeat him in our imagination. We must not allow his legacy to corrupt our dream. Let's keep focused on the true prize: unity, democracy, and the rule of law. Let's not seek revenge; that would diminish our future.
FutureImaginationLawDemocracy
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Hisham Matar quotes