Ben Okri Quotes

Powerful Ben Okri for Daily Growth

About Ben Okri

Ben Okri, an acclaimed Nigerian writer and poet, was born on March 15, 1959, in Minna, Nigeria. Growing up in a household deeply rooted in culture and tradition, his love for storytelling blossomed early. Okri moved to London at the age of 17 to study English Literature at the University of Essex. His experiences as an immigrant in a foreign city influenced his writing significantly, reflecting in his works themes of identity, exile, and the interconnectedness of all things. Okri's literary career began in earnest with the publication of his first novel, "Flowers and Shadows," in 1980. However, it was his second novel, "The Landscapes Within" (1987), that brought him international recognition. But it was his third novel, "The Famished Road" (1991), which won the Booker Prize, making Okri the first black African author to do so. This semi-autobiographical work follows Azaro, a spirit child, as he navigates life in a Nigerian slum. The novel's rich imagery and spiritual depth solidified Okri's status as a literary genius. In 1993, Okri published "Infinite Riches," a collection of short stories that explores the themes of wealth, power, and the human condition. His other notable works include "Songs of Enchantment" (1993), a book of poetry, and "Astonishing the Gods" (1995). Okri's writing style is characterized by his vivid imagination, magical realism, and profound exploration of the human spirit. Today, Ben Okri continues to write and lecture around the world. He was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for services to literature. His work has been translated into over 20 languages, testifying to his global impact on contemporary literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, less lonely."

This quote by Ben Okri suggests that stories have a profound impact on our existence as human beings. They breathe life into us, making us more aware of our humanity, instilling courage within us in the face of adversity, and alleviating feelings of loneliness by connecting us to shared experiences and emotions. Stories not only entertain but also empower us, helping us grow, learn, and empathize with others, ultimately making us feel less isolated and more connected in a diverse world.

"The fish never fears the hook that catches him; he gains strength from the flow of the river."

This quote by Ben Okri suggests resilience and strength in the face of adversity. Just as a fish continues to move with the flow of the river, unafraid of hooks, humans should maintain their inner strength amidst challenges and obstacles in life. It implies that one's spirit grows stronger when faced with difficult situations rather than becoming fearful or overwhelmed by them. Embrace change and adversity, for it can lead to personal growth and empowerment.

"Poetry can resist the onslaught of ugliness, can hold a mirror to nature, and in so doing change the world."

Ben Okri's quote emphasizes the transformative power of poetry. He suggests that poetry, with its unique ability to evoke beauty and truth, has the capacity to counteract ugliness and negativity. By holding up a mirror to nature (representing reality), poetry can help us see the world in a different light, fostering empathy, understanding, and ultimately, positive change. Thus, through its introspective and transformative influence, poetry plays a significant role in shaping society and improving the human condition.

"We are all dreamers. Some dream with open eyes."

This quote suggests that all human beings have the innate capacity for imagination, aspiration, and vision for a better future – dreams. The literal "dreaming with open eyes" emphasizes that this dreaming is not limited to sleep or daydreams, but extends to our waking lives as well. It implies that people are constantly imagining possibilities, setting goals, and striving to make their visions a reality. This quote underscores the importance of dreaming, not just for personal fulfillment, but also for progress and innovation in society.

"In the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."

Ben Okri's quote encourages readers to prioritize experiences over routine tasks, urging them to pursue meaningful adventures and personal growth. The "goddamn mountain" symbolizes significant life challenges or goals, implying that the memories we cherish most are not derived from everyday chores but rather from extraordinary experiences that push us beyond our comfort zones and help us evolve as individuals.

I was born left-handed, but I was made to use my other hand. When I was writing 'Famished Road,' which was very long, I got repetitive stress syndrome. My right wrist collapsed, so I started using my left hand. The prose I wrote with my left hand came out denser, so later on I had to change it.

- Ben Okri

Other, Very, Use, Collapsed

The strange thing about Africa is how past, present and future come together in a kind of rough jazz, if you like.

- Ben Okri

Africa, Like, Rough, Strange Thing

Reading is an act of civilization; it's one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities.

- Ben Okri

Mind, Possibilities, Castles, Raw

The greatest religions convert the world through stories.

- Ben Okri

World, Through, Stories, Convert

At the heart of 'The Famished Road' is a philosophical conundrum - for me, an essential one: what is reality? Everybody's reality is subjective; it's conditioned by upbringing, ideas, temperament, religion, what's happened to you.

- Ben Okri

Ideas, Everybody, Subjective, Essential

'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' had a formative effect on me. I think it's one of those works that if you encounter it very early you're doubly enchanted by the beauty of the language and the strangeness of the vision. It stays with you.

- Ben Okri

I Think, Very, Works, Enchanted

We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing. It was the strangest thing. Her passing away ripped the solidity out of the world.

- Ben Okri

Feet, Die, Think, Strangest

The magician and the politician have much in common: they both have to draw our attention away from what they are really doing.

- Ben Okri

Doing, Politician, Away, Magician

I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.

- Ben Okri

Me, London, Literature, Dickens

The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.

- Ben Okri

Storytelling, Fact, Unease, Imperfection

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

Law, Frontiers, Given, Legislators

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

Beginning, My Life, Through, Hardly

One of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity. We had a bit of a rollercoaster life with some really challenging financial periods. He was always unshaken, completely tranquil, the same ebullient, laughing, jovial man.

- Ben Okri

Father's Day, Some, Tranquil

I began my writing life as a poet, so poetry has always been fundamental. I evolved from poetry to journalism to stories to novels. But poetry was always there.

- Ben Okri

Always, Been, Stories, Novels

Some of my reactions are very Nigerian. I still believe that words are things.

- Ben Okri

Some, Very, Still, Reactions

Home can be the friend you have been searching for all your life or the person you met once very briefly.

- Ben Okri

Searching, Been, Very, All Your Life

Don't despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish. Because the best things are always growing in secret.

- Ben Okri

Always, Them, Perish, Despair

The worst time was 1983. Love and life and everything went wrong. I reached absolute rock bottom. I saw the Minotaur at the bottom of the abyss. I learnt of the harshness of the world and its impartiality to human failure.

- Ben Okri

Love, Bottom, Saw, Learnt

You cannot come to a Nigerian restaurant without having pepper soup.

- Ben Okri

Soup, Pepper, Having, Nigerian

I learned that life will go through changes - up and down and up again. It's what life does.

- Ben Okri

Will, Through, Learned, Up And Down

Fire is one of my temperaments. It is behind all my work... Fire is a chemical presence.

- Ben Okri

Work, Behind, All My Work, Presence

To sustain your belief through situations that completely undermine it is quite something.

- Ben Okri

Through, Undermine, Quite, Sustain

I believe in leavening. You can't have words sticking out too much, like promontories. They disturb the density. You have to flatten them, or raise the surrounding terrain.

- Ben Okri

Like, Surrounding, Density, Disturb

Artists and writers have to deal with the element that makes the real real and the dream real while you are dreaming it. That's where stories and poems get their power.

- Ben Okri

Deal, Dreaming, Stories, Element

One of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity.

- Ben Okri

Father, Adversity, Which, Greatest Gifts

I study people all the time. For some reason, we're not very good at seeing what's there or hearing what we're hearing.

- Ben Okri

Reason, Some, Very, Hearing

We have fallen into this very mean description of humanity. Naturalism in fiction is too reductive in its definition of human beings.

- Ben Okri

Fiction, Very, Description, Naturalism

Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique, in. It's the only space.

- Ben Okri

Inspirational, Magic, Here, Our Time

Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it.

- Ben Okri

Book, Like, Creative Act, Readers

When you can imagine you begin to create and when you begin to create you realize that you can create a world that you prefer to live in, rather than a world that you're suffering in.

- Ben Okri

Imagination, World, Imagine, Realize

I became a sceptic of one way of seeing the world. And I think it is what started me in my awareness that any worldview is superstitious.

- Ben Okri

Think, I Think, Became, Worldview

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.

- Ben Okri

Love, Inspirational, About, Greater

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

Failure, Artist, Will, Higher

I am one year older than Nigeria at 51. In a human life, 51 might be old. But it is very young for a nation. By that, I mean a Nigeria conscious of itself as a nation.

- Ben Okri

Year, Very, Nigeria, Conscious

The poem is never complete in the mind. It emerges, and then it's like an act of unveiling. The unveiling is the longest and most difficult part of it.

- Ben Okri

Mind, Like, Longest, Complete

It is not important for me as a writer that you leave a piece of writing of mine with either an agreement or even a resonance with what I have said. What is important is that you leave with the resonance of what you have felt and what you thought in reaction to that.

- Ben Okri

Reaction, Agreement, Mine, Resonance

You see, I was told stories, we were all told stories as kids in Nigeria. We had to tell stories that would keep one another interested, and you weren't allowed to tell stories that everybody else knew. You had to dream up new ones.

- Ben Okri

Tell, Everybody, Allowed, Nigeria

The best writing is not about the writer, the best writing is absolutely not about the writer, it's about us, it's about the reader.

- Ben Okri

Writing, Reader, Absolutely, Absolutely Not

I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable.

- Ben Okri

Streets, Rough, Floors, Homeless

To anyone who is homeless, I say, find a home.

- Ben Okri

Say, Find, Anyone, Homeless

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

Learn, Perfect, Craft, Finish

When I write a poem, I go into a state of self-forgetfulness, and something higher takes over; I like to call it my best self.

- Ben Okri

Over, Like, I Write, Poem

I am not fighting for success, just to get more beauty out of myself and share it with more people.

- Ben Okri

Beauty, More, More People, Share

I was going to be a scientist.

- Ben Okri

Going, Scientist

Magic becomes art when it has nothing to hide.

- Ben Okri

Art, Magic, Nothing, Hide

Politics is the art of the possible; creativity is the art of the impossible.

- Ben Okri

Art, Politics, Impossible, Creativity

I know that human beings are capable of anything.

- Ben Okri

Know, Capable, Human, Human Beings

Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.

- Ben Okri

Conquer, Know, Stories, Bigger

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