Previous journeys had taught me the danger of taking too much stuff. Tahir Shah More Quotes by Tahir Shah More Quotes From Tahir Shah The taste for glory can make ordinary men behave in extraordinary ways. Tahir Shah tastemenway Visit Cape Town and history is never far from your grasp. It lingers in the air, a scent on the breezy, an explanation of circumstance that shaped the Rainbow People. Stroll around the old downtown and it's impossible not to be affected by the trials and tribulations of the struggle. But, in many ways, it is the sense of triumph in the face of such adversity that makes the experience all the more poignant. Tahir Shah adversitystruggleair 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. Tahir Shah povertybecomingtravel In some peculiar way, indeed, the rules were now beginning to seem quite logical. It was then I knew that I had been in India long enough. Tahir Shah indialongtravel Believe, and what was impossible becomes possible what at first was hidden becomes visible. Tahir Shah impossible-becomes-possiblebelievefirsts Stories are not like the real world; they aren't held back by what we know is false or true. What's important is how a story makes you feel inside. Tahir Shah importantrealstories The backstreet cafe in Casablanca was for me a place of mystery, a place with a soul, a place with danger. There was a sense that the safety nets had been cut away, that each citizen walked upon the high wire of this, the real world. I longed not merely to travel through it, but to live in such a city. Tahir Shah cuttingrealcities Through bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity. Tahir Shah generosityhard-workpromise To Succeed, you must reach for the stars, and let your imagination find its own path Tahir Shah starsimaginationpath Usually, there is nothing more pleasing that returning to a place where you have endured hardship. Tahir Shah hardshippleasuretravel The first rule of an expedition is that everyone should stick together. Tahir Shah stickstogetherfirsts On a harsh expedition, there's no space for anyone who does not intend to finish. Tahir Shah spacedoetravel On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust. Tahir Shah teamimportantjourney These days no one challenges us,' he said. 'And because there is no challenge, there is no reason to work hard. And with no reason to work hard, we have all become lazy. Tahir Shah lazyhard-workchallenges Settling into a new country is like getting used to a new pair of shoes. At first they pinch a little, but you like the way they look, so you carry on. The longer you have them, the more comfortable they become. Until one day without realizing it you reach a glorious plateau. Wearing those shoes is like wearing no shoes at all. The more scuffed they get, the more you love them and the more you can't imagine life without them. Tahir Shah shoesone-daycountry During the days I felt myself slipping into a kind of madness. Solitary confinement has an astonishing effect on the mind. The trip was to stay calm and keep myself occupied. I spent hours working out how to break free. But trying to escape would have been instant suicide. Tahir Shah work-outsuicidemind Searching for a lost city is a particularly European obsession. Tahir Shah obsessioncitieslost 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. Tahir Shah realselfgiving Close your senses and the imagination comes alive. It's inside us all, dulled by endless television reruns and by a society that reins in fantasy as something not to be trusted, something to be purged. But it's in there, deep inside, a spark waiting to set a touch-paper alight. Tahir Shah imaginationwaitingtelevision One senses that, in these conditions, no amount of wet-wiping could bring true hygiene. Tahir Shah hygienesensestravel
