Mohsen Makhmalbaf Quotes & Sayings

“Rumi, who is one of the greatest Persian poets, said that the truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth.”

“I myself had to grow a longer beard and Afghan clothes. I was in danger of being kidnapped by smugglers, though I didn't know it at the time.”

“The style depends on the subject.”

“There's an 800 kilometer border between Iran and Afghanistan.”

“I was in jail four and a half years. When I came out, I continued the same struggle against injustice, but instead of using weapons, I began to use art and cinema.”

“If I make two films in a year, they'll be different. This is my style - I can't have just one way.”

“When I came out, and for many years afterwards, it had become a habit for me to sit and read and read and read, like an obsession. I would take 20 books, and not come out until I'd finished them. It took me a while to change that habit.”

“Afghan society is very complex, and Afghanistan has a very complex culture. Part of the reason it has remained unknown is because of this complexity.”

“Because there is so little room for expression otherwise, a lot of people love cinema because they find it a way of expressing themselves.”

“I wanted to be left alone to live my life, so it was very easy for people to pretend that they were me.”