"The trouble with identity politics is that it is a prison."

"The concept of 'civilization' is often used as a tool of power, to differentiate between the 'civilized' and the 'uncivilized'."

"Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate."

"The Orient is a stage on which the whole East is confined. On this stage, a drama is played out in which the West is the sole actor."

"Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience."