"I believe society has a right to defend itself, just as the individual has the right to attack that with which he disagrees"

Naguib Mahfouz's quote talks to the idea of collective duty and the power of the cumulative to secure itself. He is recommending that society has the right to safeguard itself from those who would attack it, equally as a person has the right to strike something with which they differ. This implies that culture has the right to do something about it versus those that would certainly intimidate it, and that individuals have the right to share their dissent. This quote talks to the significance of cumulative action and also the power of the collective to safeguard itself from those who would certainly do it hurt. It additionally speaks with the relevance of individual expression as well as the right to dissent. Eventually, Mahfouz's quote recommends that both the collective as well as the person can secure themselves from those who would certainly do them harm.