"I don't believe in God, but I'm very interested in religion."

"Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice."

"The Satanic Verses is a novel about migration, metamorphosis, divided selves, love, death, London, and Bombay. It is a serious work of literature."

"A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep."

"A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return."