Portrait of Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka

Nigerian playwright, Nobel laureate

Contemporary influential 62 sayings

Sayings by Wole Soyinka

The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.

Unknown — Interview
Justice & Rights Confirmed

The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.

1986 — Nobel Lecture
Political Confirmed

A tiger does not proclaim its tigritude, it pounces.

1976 — Myth, Literature and the African World
Wisdom Unverifiable

The past is not a package to be tied up and put away. It is a living thing, dynamic and dangerous.

2010 — Interview with The Guardian
Wisdom Unverifiable

Power is a strange thing. It has a way of corrupting the best of intentions.

2012 — Of Africa
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

I am a man of the theatre. I like to see things happen.

Unknown — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

The world is too complex, too interconnected, for any nation to imagine it can isolate itself and remain unaffected.

Unknown — Speech
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

History is not a bedtime story for children, but a warning to the wise.

Unknown — Interview
Educational Unverifiable

The artist is the most dangerous element in any society, because he is the one who dares to question the established order.

Unknown — Interview
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

I don't think I'm a particularly brave person. I just happen to be a very stubborn one.

Unknown — Interview
Inspirational Unverifiable

The greatest lesson I have learned is that the human spirit is indomitable.

Unknown — Interview
Educational Unverifiable

Culture is the sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the course of a century, have enabled man to be less enslaved.

Unknown — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

The ultimate truth is that we are all interconnected. What affects one, affects all.

Unknown — Speech
Wisdom Unverifiable

My mind is my weapon. My pen is my sword.

Unknown — Interview
War & Conflict Unverifiable

To be human is to be a paradox.

Unknown — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

I believe in the power of the individual to change the world.

Unknown — Speech
Inspirational Unverifiable

The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.

Unknown — Interview
Inspirational Unverifiable

Humor is the weapon of the oppressed.

Unknown — Interview
Political Unverifiable

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Unknown — Speech
Inspirational Unverifiable

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Unknown — Interview
Educational Unverifiable
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