Search quotes

Link	Quote	Tags	Author
b4a751e	In the world of the Machiguenga, sadness could be equated with anger, and anger was a perilous emotion, by which a foreigner could lose his life.	emotion death sadness threat	Tahir Shah
31428f4	Running an expedition can bring out the worst in a man. It can make you a power-crazed monster.	expedition monster power	Tahir Shah
0559d70	A man who embarks on a journey must know when to end it.		Tahir Shah
1f736a5	To be selfless, you would give charity anonymously, walj softly on the earth, and look out for others-even total strangers-before you look out for yourself. For the Arab mind, the self is an obstacle, an impediment, in humanity's quest foe real progress.	humanity inspirational-quotes	Tahir Shah
eb7f0d0	In Morocco, before you even get to the matter of the sale, you have to coax the owner to sell.		Tahir Shah
b0ad540	In the West we are driven by an extreme form of guilt -- if you are not seen to be working like a dog, you're perceived as being slothful.		Tahir Shah
1d1b76d	The ancient paused for a moment, as if his strength were failing. Yet I sensed that there was more to tell. Looking deep into my eyes, he whispered: 'The Gond kingdoms have fallen, their people live dispersed in poverty: the teak trees and the jungles have been cleared... but the importance of the Gonds must not be forgotten!	myth india travel america gondwana geography	Tahir Shah
f3691ad	I was becoming addicted to Bombay. There was squalor and poverty, but I had begun to realise my good fortune and would never again forget it.	india travel writing	Tahir Shah
271c79c	You have no idea. when you're a salesman here in Marrakech medima, lying is the first thing you learn. generation after generation, they pass it on. its the secret ingredient the foundationfor a salesman's success. lie well and you make a fortune every day. your wife purrs like a kitten, and your children ealk tall with pride.		Tahir Shah
06dcabf	I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.	success mindset	Tahir Shah
2103a9c	My father looked on in disbelief, overwhelmed that his son had been taught to eat glass and relish it.	illusion illusionists	Tahir Shah
31e6501	A cross between a foreign legion boot-camp and a secret-society initiation ritual, the ordeals were grounded in pain. One thing was obvious: the agenda, which was dedicated to grave discomfort, had been drawn up by a passionate sadist.	pain sadism secret-society	Tahir Shah
6afff51	Once in a very long time you come across a book that is far, far more than the ink, the glue and the paper, a book that seeps into your blood. With such a book the impact isn't necessarily obvious at first...but the more you read it and re-read it, and live with it, and travel with it, the more it speaks to you, and the more you realize that you cannot live without that book. It's then that the wisdom hidden inside, the seed, is passed on.	travel reading wisdom	Tahir Shah
c553b11	The porters could always be coaxed to continue a little further through driving rain by the mere suggestion of a Pot Noodle at the end.	endurance food	Tahir Shah
92b7d9a	Ours was not going to be a clone of the usual expeditions, oozing with sleekness. It was clear from the start that oddity was our advantage.	expedition adventure	Tahir Shah
e9412de	The Occident has never found it easy to grasp the strange netherworld of spirits that followers of Islam universally believe exist in a realm overlaid our own.	spirits	Tahir Shah
86af00e	Everyone knows that even the best exorcism has to be renewed once in a while.		Tahir Shah
905a7be	One senses that, in these conditions, no amount of wet-wiping could bring true hygiene.	travel	Tahir Shah
6f83794	In any case, a little danger is a small price to pay for ridding a place of tourists.	tourists tourism	Tahir Shah
261aea1	None of them seemed to mind sliding around in the faeces and choking in the smoke. They were determined not to miss the opportunity of watching a foreigner make a fool of himself.	foreigner foolishness	Tahir Shah
f22a331	I had learned years ago never to give original documents to anyone if I could help it.	travel	Tahir Shah
0b81fb9	The first few hours in the cell were quite stimulating. I'd never been in a prison cell before and was quite enjoying the experience.		Tahir Shah
5558bfa	When I am about to embark on a difficult journey, I comfort myself by reading the accounts of the great nineteenth-century travellers, men like Stanley, Burton, Speke, Burckhardt and Barth.	reading travel-writers journey	Tahir Shah
d716fd0	As far as Samson was concerned I was just another foreigner in pursuit of a lunatic quest.	question journey lunatic	Tahir Shah
f00894e	Calcutta has spectacular over-employment. In the West, where we're obsessed with slashing the numbers of workers for the sake of it, we drool at the idea of more, faster computers, fewer humans. But as we struggle to adopt an ever-changing technology, we lose sight of the satisfaction that only a finely tuned human system can provide.		Tahir Shah
44c16a8	The very fact that a Frenchman was prepared, after tow minutes of conversation, to be so friendly towards anyone, especially one who had come from England, made me restless.	travel friends friendship	Tahir Shah
8141c4e	Back at the Chateau Windsor there was a rat-like scratching at the door of my room. Vinod, the youngest servant, came in with a soda water. He placed it next to the bag of toffees. Then he watched me read. I was used to being observed reading. Sometimes the room would fill like a railway station at rush hour and I would be expected to cure widespread boredom.	india travel	Tahir Shah
4ef55fa	Foras Road has a sordid reputation (...) Old crones sat in doorways, while their daughters were pushed out to earn money. It is intriguing that a society which is very covert with sexuality should be so straightforward about prostitution.	india travel women prostitutes travel-writing	Tahir Shah
7db2421	Osman and Prideep had been in my employment for some weeks. Every Friday I would take the to lunch. It was the high point of their calender. During the meal I would harangue them as a reminder of what they had been hired for: but my orations never seemed to increase their output. I realised later that, in the East, a commitment to produce does not automatically accompany employment.	india society values	Tahir Shah
928fa44	Prideep pointed to the flames of paraffin lamps as they came alive in the distance and cackled in awe at the experience. (...) I was to discover that making tasty soup with one carrot, ten peas and a little dishwater, was his greatest skill. One wondered what the man would be capable of creating with a blender and a non-stick frying-pan.	india gondwana gourmet	Tahir Shah
52674ec	As far as I was concerned, a little danger of head-shrinking is a small price to pay in return for a people who have remained true to an ancient code.	danger	Tahir Shah
b4b49dc	Experience has taught me the power of trophies. You may have every knick-knack and useless contraption ever devised, but while they weigh you down, a simple trophy can go a long, long way.	trophy	Tahir Shah
f9bd70a	My journey to the land of the Shuar tribe had taught me the importance of practical gifts.	shuar tribe gifts journey	Tahir Shah
6204f78	Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.		Tahir Shah
a50507d	In Morocco," said Osman, "word spreads like a fire tearing through the depths of Hell."	gossip	Tahir Shah
f19c19c	The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence.	violence	Tahir Shah
4af15da	The inertia of a jungle village is a dangerous thing. Before you know it your whole life has slipped by and you are still waiting there.	time inertia village jungle	Tahir Shah
268696f	I struggled to think pure thoughts, as Hector sucked out my psyche with his eyes.	thoughts	Tahir Shah
427d291	If hot food is they key to maintaining an expedition's stamina, then low grade gut-rot alcohol is the key to sustaining its sense of pleasure.	expedition sustenance alcohol food journey pleasure	Tahir Shah
7deae94	Back at the guest house I tried to acclimatise. A travel-worn adventurer had once told me that leaning with one's head dangling over the end of a bed was the best way to achieve this. It was while I was in this position, the blood rushing to my temples, that the door swung open.	india explorer travel-writing	Tahir Shah
d9ef0fc	I'm a fool, that I should simply trick the tourists like everyone else. after all, most of them will never come back. and what are tourists for but for tricking?		Tahir Shah
349b526	As the man was bundled into an armoured police van, he turned and shouted: 'Don't waste your life following others! Be individual! Live your dreams!' I stood there thinking. He was right. Ours is a society of followers, trapped by an island mentality.	individuality	Tahir Shah
c7a48ec	Returning to a city that one has known and loved fills you with a delicious sense of warmth.		Tahir Shah
dfbc2d9	Two reeds drink from the same stream. One is hollow, the other is sugarcane. --MOROCCAN PROVERB		Tahir Shah

b4a751e

In the world of the Machiguenga, sadness could be equated with anger, and anger was a perilous emotion, by which a foreigner could lose his life.

emotion death sadness threat

Tahir Shah

31428f4

Running an expedition can bring out the worst in a man. It can make you a power-crazed monster.

expedition monster power

Tahir Shah

0559d70

A man who embarks on a journey must know when to end it.

Tahir Shah

1f736a5

To be selfless, you would give charity anonymously, walj softly on the earth, and look out for others-even total strangers-before you look out for yourself. For the Arab mind, the self is an obstacle, an impediment, in humanity's quest foe real progress.

humanity inspirational-quotes

Tahir Shah

eb7f0d0

In Morocco, before you even get to the matter of the sale, you have to coax the owner to sell.

Tahir Shah

b0ad540

In the West we are driven by an extreme form of guilt -- if you are not seen to be working like a dog, you're perceived as being slothful.

Tahir Shah

1d1b76d

The ancient paused for a moment, as if his strength were failing. Yet I sensed that there was more to tell. Looking deep into my eyes, he whispered: 'The Gond kingdoms have fallen, their people live dispersed in poverty: the teak trees and the jungles have been cleared... but the importance of the Gonds must not be forgotten!

myth india travel america gondwana geography

Tahir Shah

f3691ad

I was becoming addicted to Bombay. There was squalor and poverty, but I had begun to realise my good fortune and would never again forget it.

india travel writing

Tahir Shah

271c79c

You have no idea. when you're a salesman here in Marrakech medima, lying is the first thing you learn. generation after generation, they pass it on. its the secret ingredient the foundationfor a salesman's success. lie well and you make a fortune every day. your wife purrs like a kitten, and your children ealk tall with pride.

Tahir Shah

06dcabf

I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.

success mindset

Tahir Shah

2103a9c

My father looked on in disbelief, overwhelmed that his son had been taught to eat glass and relish it.

illusion illusionists

Tahir Shah

31e6501

A cross between a foreign legion boot-camp and a secret-society initiation ritual, the ordeals were grounded in pain. One thing was obvious: the agenda, which was dedicated to grave discomfort, had been drawn up by a passionate sadist.

pain sadism secret-society

Tahir Shah

6afff51

Once in a very long time you come across a book that is far, far more than the ink, the glue and the paper, a book that seeps into your blood. With such a book the impact isn't necessarily obvious at first...but the more you read it and re-read it, and live with it, and travel with it, the more it speaks to you, and the more you realize that you cannot live without that book. It's then that the wisdom hidden inside, the seed, is passed on.

travel reading wisdom

Tahir Shah

c553b11

The porters could always be coaxed to continue a little further through driving rain by the mere suggestion of a Pot Noodle at the end.

endurance food

Tahir Shah

92b7d9a

Ours was not going to be a clone of the usual expeditions, oozing with sleekness. It was clear from the start that oddity was our advantage.

expedition adventure

Tahir Shah

e9412de

The Occident has never found it easy to grasp the strange netherworld of spirits that followers of Islam universally believe exist in a realm overlaid our own.

spirits

Tahir Shah

86af00e

Everyone knows that even the best exorcism has to be renewed once in a while.

Tahir Shah

905a7be

One senses that, in these conditions, no amount of wet-wiping could bring true hygiene.

travel

Tahir Shah

6f83794

In any case, a little danger is a small price to pay for ridding a place of tourists.

tourists tourism

Tahir Shah

261aea1

None of them seemed to mind sliding around in the faeces and choking in the smoke. They were determined not to miss the opportunity of watching a foreigner make a fool of himself.

foreigner foolishness

Tahir Shah

f22a331

I had learned years ago never to give original documents to anyone if I could help it.

travel

Tahir Shah

0b81fb9

The first few hours in the cell were quite stimulating. I'd never been in a prison cell before and was quite enjoying the experience.

Tahir Shah

5558bfa

When I am about to embark on a difficult journey, I comfort myself by reading the accounts of the great nineteenth-century travellers, men like Stanley, Burton, Speke, Burckhardt and Barth.

reading travel-writers journey

Tahir Shah

d716fd0

As far as Samson was concerned I was just another foreigner in pursuit of a lunatic quest.

question journey lunatic

Tahir Shah

f00894e

Calcutta has spectacular over-employment. In the West, where we're obsessed with slashing the numbers of workers for the sake of it, we drool at the idea of more, faster computers, fewer humans. But as we struggle to adopt an ever-changing technology, we lose sight of the satisfaction that only a finely tuned human system can provide.

Tahir Shah

44c16a8

The very fact that a Frenchman was prepared, after tow minutes of conversation, to be so friendly towards anyone, especially one who had come from England, made me restless.

travel friends friendship

Tahir Shah

8141c4e

Back at the Chateau Windsor there was a rat-like scratching at the door of my room. Vinod, the youngest servant, came in with a soda water. He placed it next to the bag of toffees. Then he watched me read. I was used to being observed reading. Sometimes the room would fill like a railway station at rush hour and I would be expected to cure widespread boredom.

india travel

Tahir Shah

4ef55fa

Foras Road has a sordid reputation (...) Old crones sat in doorways, while their daughters were pushed out to earn money. It is intriguing that a society which is very covert with sexuality should be so straightforward about prostitution.

india travel women prostitutes travel-writing

Tahir Shah

7db2421

Osman and Prideep had been in my employment for some weeks. Every Friday I would take the to lunch. It was the high point of their calender. During the meal I would harangue them as a reminder of what they had been hired for: but my orations never seemed to increase their output. I realised later that, in the East, a commitment to produce does not automatically accompany employment.

india society values

Tahir Shah

928fa44

Prideep pointed to the flames of paraffin lamps as they came alive in the distance and cackled in awe at the experience. (...) I was to discover that making tasty soup with one carrot, ten peas and a little dishwater, was his greatest skill. One wondered what the man would be capable of creating with a blender and a non-stick frying-pan.

india gondwana gourmet

Tahir Shah

52674ec

As far as I was concerned, a little danger of head-shrinking is a small price to pay in return for a people who have remained true to an ancient code.

danger

Tahir Shah

b4b49dc

Experience has taught me the power of trophies. You may have every knick-knack and useless contraption ever devised, but while they weigh you down, a simple trophy can go a long, long way.

trophy

Tahir Shah

f9bd70a

My journey to the land of the Shuar tribe had taught me the importance of practical gifts.

shuar tribe gifts journey

Tahir Shah

6204f78

Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.

Tahir Shah

a50507d

In Morocco," said Osman, "word spreads like a fire tearing through the depths of Hell."

gossip

Tahir Shah

f19c19c

The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence.

violence

Tahir Shah

4af15da

The inertia of a jungle village is a dangerous thing. Before you know it your whole life has slipped by and you are still waiting there.

time inertia village jungle

Tahir Shah

268696f

I struggled to think pure thoughts, as Hector sucked out my psyche with his eyes.

thoughts

Tahir Shah

427d291

If hot food is they key to maintaining an expedition's stamina, then low grade gut-rot alcohol is the key to sustaining its sense of pleasure.

expedition sustenance alcohol food journey pleasure

Tahir Shah

7deae94

Back at the guest house I tried to acclimatise. A travel-worn adventurer had once told me that leaning with one's head dangling over the end of a bed was the best way to achieve this. It was while I was in this position, the blood rushing to my temples, that the door swung open.

india explorer travel-writing

Tahir Shah

d9ef0fc

I'm a fool, that I should simply trick the tourists like everyone else. after all, most of them will never come back. and what are tourists for but for tricking?

Tahir Shah

349b526

As the man was bundled into an armoured police van, he turned and shouted: 'Don't waste your life following others! Be individual! Live your dreams!' I stood there thinking. He was right. Ours is a society of followers, trapped by an island mentality.

individuality

Tahir Shah

c7a48ec

Returning to a city that one has known and loved fills you with a delicious sense of warmth.

Tahir Shah

dfbc2d9

Two reeds drink from the same stream. One is hollow, the other is sugarcane. --MOROCCAN PROVERB

Tahir Shah