The realization that he is white in a black country, and respected for it, is the turning point in the expatriate's career. He can either forget it, or capitalize on it. Most choose the latter. Paul Theroux More Quotes by Paul Theroux More Quotes From Paul Theroux You think of travellers as bold, but our guilty secret is that travel is one of the laziest ways on earth of passing the time. Paul Theroux earthsecretthinking No one has ever described the place where I have just arrived: this is the emotion that makes me want to travel. It is one of the greatest reasons to go anywhere. Paul Theroux emotionreasonwant The long morning shadows lay as still and dark as lakes and patterned the rough ground with straight margins. Paul Theroux lakesdarkmorning Loneliness in travel directs you and tells you about yourself. You don't become lonely unless you're alone. Paul Theroux about-yourselflonelyloneliness The Japanese have perfected good manners and made them indistinguishable from rudeness. Paul Theroux rudesarcasticmanners Painters strike me as having warm uncomplicated friendships and probably more natural generosity than the practitioners of any other art. Perhaps this is because painting is such a portable, flexible thing. Paul Theroux paintinggenerosityart Tourists who go to Africa have more of a traditional experience than Africans do. A tourist goes on safari; Africans don't. Paul Theroux safaritouristsgoes-on I don't think that it's possible to have a truly rewarding experience in travel if it's simple. Paul Theroux rewarding-experiencessimplethinking Reading is also a journey. It's a process of discovery. Paul Theroux readingjourneydiscovery When I went to Hong Kong, I knew at once I wanted to write a story set there. Paul Theroux hong-kongstorieswriting I don't want to be the honored guest. I want to be the invisible person. Paul Theroux invisibleguestswant The Peace Corps is a sort of Howard Johnson's on the main drag into maturity. Paul Theroux dragmaturitypeace There is no faster way of destroying a man, or mocking his ideas, than making him fashionable. Paul Theroux menwayideas The Colombians are good-tempered people. They are used to waiting for buses that are late, used to riding buses and trains that do not arrive. Paul Theroux waitingpatiencepeople A foreign swear-word is practically inoffensive except to the person who has learnt it early in life and knows its social limits. Paul Theroux limitspersonssocial The traveler's boast, sometimes couched as a complaint, is that of having been an eyewitness, and invariably this experience - shocking though it may seem at the time - is an enrichment, even a blessing, one of the life-altering trophies of the road. Paul Theroux blessingmaytravel I always found myself in the company of Australians, who were like a reminder that I'd touched bottom. Paul Theroux reminderscompanyfound The wish to disappear sends many travelers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is perfect: let other people wait for a change. Travel is a sort of revenge for having been put on hold, or having to leave messages on answering machines, not knowing your party's extension, being kept waiting all your working life - the homebound writer's irritants. But also being kept waiting is the human conditon. Paul Theroux partyrevengehome All travel is circular. I had been jerked through Asia, making a parabola on one of the planet's hemispheres. After all, the grand tour is just the inspired man's way of heading home. Paul Theroux hemispherehomemen I'm not pessimistic about Africa. The cities just seem big and hopeless. But there's still a great green heart where there's possibility. There's hope in the wilderness. Paul Theroux pessimisticcitiesheart
