"I'm thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could've gone the other way."

"I was one of those dark, quiet kids that wrote poetry."

"The first guitar I ever got was for my 13th birthday."

"Yes, all my songs come from personal experience and relationships."

"My book has a very simple surface, but there are layers of irony and paradox all the way through it."

"The word 'Islam' means 'peace.' The word 'Muslim' means 'one who surrenders to God.' But the press makes us seem like haters."

"To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea."

"Like most citizens of popular and international urban centres, I don't take advantage of the cultural opportunities. Perhaps this comes from growing up in suburbia. Home is where you eat, sleep, read, watch television and ignore your parents. It is not where you go to the ballet and then attend a heated panel discussion about it afterwards."