"Orientalism is a system of representations, a discourse, which produces the Orient."

"It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in …"

"The Orient is not an inert fact of nature. It is not merely 'there,' as the Occident is. It is an idea that has a history and a tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that have given it reality…"

"The United States has been a major player in the Middle East for a long time, and its policies have often been detrimental to the people of the region."

"The intellectual is someone who cares about the truth, and not about his own career."