When I went to Hong Kong, I knew at once I wanted to write a story set there. Paul Theroux More Quotes by Paul Theroux More Quotes From Paul Theroux My love for traveling to islands amounts to a pathological condition known as nesomania, an obsession with islands. This craze seems reasonable to me, because islands are small self-contained worlds that can help us understand larger ones. Paul Theroux selfislandsworld I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better. Paul Theroux productivitystriveinspiring The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the circumstances of your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape, to risk the unknown. Paul Theroux risktravelmoving Travel is at its most rewarding when it ceases to be about your reaching a destination and becomes indistinguishable from living your life Paul Theroux live-your-lifereachingdestination You go away for a long time and return a different person - you never come all the way back. Paul Theroux going-awaydifferentlong Airplanes have dulled and desensitized us; we are encumbered, like lovers in a suit of armor. Paul Theroux suits-of-armorairplanelovers Reading liberates you. You could know about the world through reading. Paul Theroux readingknowsworld Travel is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with existence or the exotic. It is almost always an inner experience. Paul Theroux exoticstatesmind Travel is a vanishing act, a solitary trip down a pinched line of geography to oblivion. Paul Theroux vanishinglinestravel When you travel you realize how small you are. You need to be humble. You can't be a big, brash American. You think you have problems. You leave the States and you see people have bigger problems than you, much worse problems than you. They have nothing to eat, they have no water, they have no shelter, they have a terrible government. So you realize we complain about the government, we complain about food, whatever it is, and go somewhere else and you think, "Now I realize," you say, "Why people want to come to America." Paul Theroux humbleamericathinking Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us. Paul Theroux second-chancegivingfiction Gain a modest reputation for being unreliable and you will never be asked to do a thing. Paul Theroux modestreputationgains There has to be a measure of difficulty or problem-solving in travel for it to be worthwhile. Paul Theroux problem-solvingworthwhileproblem Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going. Paul Theroux journeyadventuretravel Travel is an attitude, a state of mind. It is not residence, it is motion. Paul Theroux statesmindattitude Even if I were traveling with you, your trip would not be mine. Paul Theroux minesifs It is usually expensive and lonely to be principled. Paul Theroux principledlonelyexpensive I hate vacations. I hate them. I have no fun on them. I get nothing done. People sit and relax, but I don't want to relax. I want to see something. Paul Theroux vacationhatefun Travel is glamorous only in retrospect. Paul Theroux inspirationalfunnytravel I like the idea of isolation, I like the idea of solitude. You can be connected and have a phone and still be lonely. Paul Theroux phoneslonelyideas
