Quote

I believe that Marrakech ought to be earned as a destination. The journey is the preparation for the experience. Reaching it too fast derides it, makes it a little less easy to understand.

Tahir Shah

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Tahir Shah
Age: 58
Born: 1966
Born: November 16
Author
Comedian
Explorer
Journalist
Novelist
Writer
London
England
Believe
Ought
Less
Marrakech
Understand
Earned
Easy
Destination
Experience
Preparation
Makes
Reaching
Littles
Fast
Little
Journey

More quotes by Tahir Shah

Image
For my father there was no sharper way to understand a country than by listening to its stories.
Tahir Shah
Image
Previous journeys had taught me the danger of taking too much stuff.
Tahir Shah
Image
For me, a journey to Damascus is an amazing hunt from beginning to end, a slice through layers of history in search of treasure.
Tahir Shah
Image
My father used to say that stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.
Tahir Shah
Image
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
Image
The very fact that a Frenchman was prepared, after two minutes of conversation, to be so friendly towards anyone, especially one who had come from England, made me restless.
Tahir Shah
Image
Explorers like to pretend that they are a select breed of people with iron nerve and an ability to endure terrible hardship.
Tahir Shah
Image
Most journeys have a clear beginning, but on some the ending is less well-defined. The question is, at what point do you bite your lip and head for home?
Tahir Shah
Image
Respect was one thing. Survival was another. It was important that I kept my priorities in the right order.
Tahir Shah
Image
I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.
Tahir Shah
Image
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
Image
Any man who has ever led an army, an expedition, or a group of Boy Scouts has sadism in his bones.
Tahir Shah
Image
One senses that, in these conditions, no amount of wet-wiping could bring true hygiene.
Tahir Shah
Image
There’s nothing quite like a good quest for getting your blood pumping.
Tahir Shah
Image
On a harsh expedition, there's no space for anyone who does not intend to finish.
Tahir Shah
Image
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.
Tahir Shah
Image
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.
Tahir Shah
Image
On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust.
Tahir Shah
Image
In moments of great uncertainty on my travels, I have always felt that something is protecting me, that i will come to no harm.
Tahir Shah
Image
I was no longer troubled when he pulled out a machete in a crowded bar, tried to pick up schoolgirls, or threatened to scalp us, then rip off our heads and scoop out our brains.
Tahir Shah