As a student in England, I studied French and English literature. I read L'Etranger and the rhythm of the novel felt familiar to me - very African.

I don't have much of an imagination, but I have a mind bank of details, which I play with. It's how I daydream, so writing like that is natural for me.

What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens in the literary marketplace. It is distracting and can lead to discontent.

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I needed to tell.

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I wanted to share so I learnt how to write and kept going. If I could sing or paint, I would.

I don't remember being a keen reader, but apparently I was. My aunt told me that whenever I was teased for reading, I would say, "To each his own."

People don’t fear the wind until it fells a tree. Then, they say it’s too much.

I don't have a schedule, but I can write for hours non-stop. If I'm drafting a book, I try and do a chapter a day. I dislike first drafts. Revision is a lot more fun, but it takes years.

I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction.

I read Macbeth as a secondary student in Nigeria and it was like an African play to me. It had all the right elements - witches, kings and assassinations.

At some point, practicality requires that you reach out to people in the business. You have to take care of business if you value your work.

Writing is like a religion to those who don't practise, an act of faith for those who do.

Once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest that one owns belongs to the poor.

It is not that we have a soul, we are a soul.

We can't afford any president to fail.

Think of it. To go down to posterity as a 'man who lived among the cannibals.'

They that never peeped beyond the common belief in which their easy understandings were at first indoctrinated are strongly assured of the truth of their receptions.

I found me a place where I can do good without doing any harm, and I can see I'm doing good, and them I'm doing good for know I'm doing it, and they love me, Unk, as best they can. I found me a home.

Children do not constitute anyone's property: they are neither the property of their parents nor even of society. They belong only to their own future freedom.

You're a heartbreaker, dream maker, love taker, don't you mess around with me.

Liberty is a different kind of pain from prison.