“Kuna nguzo saba ambazo hazina budi kuzingatiwa kama unataka kuheshimiwa na kuwaheshimu wengine. Kwanza kabisa jitambue: wewe ni nani na unafanya nini hapa duniani. Halafu, kabla ya kusema jambo lolote kwa mtu yoyote fikiria kwanza maana au madhara ya hilo unalotaka kulisema. Kisha jifunze tamaduni mbalimbali na watendee wengine kama vile unavyotaka kutendewa au kama vile wanavyotaka kutendewa. Jifunze kusamehe na kusuluhisha migogoro katika jamii unamoishi huku ukidumisha heshima na utu kwa binadamu wenzako. Jijengee imani kwa watu, punguza upendeleo, fanya kazi kama timu kwani hakuna ‘mimi’ katika umoja ila kuna ‘sisi’, na jitahidi kwa kadiri ya uwezo wako WOTE kwa manufaa ya wote. Kuwa kiongozi katika kila jambo unalofanya na katika kila kitu unachofanya. Jitahidi kufanya jambo au kitu kwa usahihi kwa kadiri utakavyoweza.”

“If you are smart be simple. If you are powerful be generous. If you are rich be humble. If you want to be smart be simple. If you want to be powerful be generous. If you want to be rich be humble.”

“Develop your soul into independence!”

“No matter how talented or skilled you are, you will never reach your full potential without expert guidance.”

“To be able to influence Tanzanian literature and African literature, and sell our books in Tanzania as well as in our continent, we need to be committed to what we do. And what we do is writing. Write as much as you can. Read as much as you can. Use the library and the internet carefully for research and talk to people, about things that matter. To make a living from writing, and make people read again in Tanzania and Africa; we must write very well, very good stories.”

“Live as you were created to live.”

“An Indian child is brought up in England, and he will speak both English and Hindi very well. English in school and Hindi at home. But here it’s English both in schools and at home. Why can’t you speak Swahili with your child at home? If this continues we will turn into an English speaking country.”

“Dictatorial government is more dangerous than lions!”

“People think that other international languages are smarter and more business wise. But they have to understand that we have to preserve our culture.”

“People speak broken Swahili on purpose. Business people for instance will speak Sheng – a mixture of Swahili and English – because that’s what people want to hear. And what is the government doing? They speak broken Swahili most of the time. Swahili is getting lost and I am really sorry for the future generations.”

“I have written all the 406 pages of my book in Swahili words. Even the countries are in Swahili. Instead of 'Nigeria', for example, I have written 'Nijeria'. That is how it is written in the Swahili dictionary. This can seem as a minor detail and that people may find my mission close to ridiculous! However, single letters and commas matter.”