I'm conscious of a series of circles working its way through my life. And at this particular moment I have come round to the beginning of my writing cycle. It begins with poetry. There's hardly a day that goes past on which I don't write poetry. Ben Okri More Quotes by Ben Okri More Quotes From Ben Okri When chaos is the god of an era, clamorous music is the deity's chief instrument. Ben Okri chaos deities eras The acknowledged legislators of the world take the world as given. They dislike mysteries, for mysteries cannot be coded, or legislated, and wonder cannot be made into law. And so these legislators police the accepted frontiers of things. Ben Okri police law world Wholeness is the enemy of the artist. We ought to be broken, ruined in some way. Ben Okri broken artist enemy Painters ought to be mute. Speech is the enemy of expression. Ben Okri silence expression enemy I was going to be a scientist. Ben Okri scientist I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare. Ben Okri london literature home To anyone who is homeless, I say, find a home. Ben Okri homeless home We have fallen into this very mean description of humanity. Naturalism in fiction is too reductive in its definition of human beings. Ben Okri humanity mean fiction The higher the artist, the fewer the gestures. The fewer the tools, the greater the imagination. The greater the will, the greater the secret failure. Ben Okri artist imagination secret Don't neglect the gold in your own back yard. Ben Okri yards neglect gold A man must be able to hold his drink because drunkenness is sometimes necessary in this difficult life. Ben Okri able sometimes men Don't read what everyone else is reading. Check them out later, cautiously. Ben Okri checks reading One of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity. Ben Okri tranquil adversity father When you stop inventing reality then you see things as they really are. Ben Okri inventing reality I learned that life will go through changes - up and down and up again. It's what life does. Ben Okri up-and-down down-and doe If you are working in an office, where do you find the time to write a novel? But you can finish a short story in five pages. Furthermore, a short story is a perfect place to learn the craft Ben Okri office perfect writing We are living in enchanted time. With our spirits right. Ben Okri enchanted spirit The earliest storytellers were magi, seers, bards, griots, shamans. They were, it would seem, old as time, and as terrifying to gaze upon as the mysteries with which they wrestled .. (they) helped the community live though one more darkness, with eyes wide open, and with hearts set alight. Ben Okri community eye heart Who knows, maybe this whole planet is an asylum, a penal realm. A place for hard cases. Ben Okri planets cases asylums I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable. Ben Okri homeless wit miserable
