Although the Nasser revolution of 1952 was secular, the culture remained deeply religious - but it was a faith of moderation and tolerance. Women made up nearly half my class at university, and my senior academic adviser there was a woman. In Alexandria, my friends were Christians and Muslims.

— Ahmed Zewail

Curiosity - the rover and the concept - is what science is all about: the quest to reveal the unknown.

— Ahmed Zewail

Despite differences of faith or even the occasional collisions between them, Egypt is united.

— Ahmed Zewail

Every effort should be made to help build the new democratic nation with reconciliation and forgiveness, for the sake of Egypt and not for the benefit of a party or a group.

— Ahmed Zewail

From the dawn of history, science has probed the universe of unknowns, searching for the uniting laws of nature.

— Ahmed Zewail

Higher education should be based on quality, not quantity; receive merit-based funding; and be free of unnecessary bureaucracy. Not the least of the benefits of educational reform is to foster the pride of achievement at national and international levels.

— Ahmed Zewail

Human resources are just tremendous in Egypt, but we need the science base; we need the correct science base.

— Ahmed Zewail

I am not one of the new media experts working all the time with my computers and the PowerPoints and things of that sort.

— Ahmed Zewail

I'd rather have the influence than the power, and the influence to me is to build institutions of independence and democracy, to regain for Egypt prestige in education and science and technology.

— Ahmed Zewail

In adapting to life in the melting pot of America, I discovered that the same soft power of science has a huge influence in building bridges between cultures and religions - and has the potential to do so with the Muslim world.

— Ahmed Zewail