Jean Cocteau

The reward of art is not fame or success but intoxication: that is why so many bad artists are unable to give it up.

An original artist is unable to copy. So he has only to copy in order to be original.

The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order.

Under the previous regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, I was detained. So was my wife, Serkalem Fasil. She gave birth to our son in prison in 2005.

Well, I actually wrote her a letter a couple of days ago congratulating her. The tone I tried to convey in the letter is, look, you are a part of a great American historical process.

It is hardly surprising that women concentrate on the way they look instead of what is in their minds since not much has been put in their minds to begin with.