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21 " [T]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity. "
― Tahir Shah , In Search of King Solomon's Mines
22 " For me, nature is something you watch on the Discovery Channel, or on the evening news -- as you learn how much more of it's been savaged to make way for the Blackberry realm that is my home "
― Tahir Shah , Travels With Myself
23 " 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. "
― Tahir Shah , Sorcerer's Apprentice
24 " There is nothing quite as unpleasant as wearing a pair of briefs which have been trailed through a Calcutta courtyard. Nothing, that is, except having one's elbows and knees lacerated by unseen slivers of glass and discarded razor blades. "
25 " Money spent on good-quality gear is always money well spent. "
26 " Close your senses and the imagination comes alive. It's inside us al, 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 , In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams
27 " Running an expedition can bring out the worst in a man. It can make you a power-crazed monster. "
― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City
28 " 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. "
29 " 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. "
― Tahir Shah , Beyond The Devil's Teeth
30 " In India an explanation is often more confusing than what prompted it. "
31 " Believe, and what was impossible becomes possible what at first was hidden becomes visible. "
32 " On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust. "
33 " The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence. "
34 " To Succeed, you must reach for the stars, and let your imagination find its own path "
35 " We had the kind of conversations that only great friends can ever share. They were touched with magic. "
36 " 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. "
37 " Move to a new country and you quickly see that visiting a place as a tourist, and actually moving there for good, are two very different things. "
38 " Usually, there is nothing more pleasing that returning to a place where you have endured hardship. "
39 " The idea of my heart dancing with delight was far too good to pass up. "
40 " Lured by the wilderness, and by the chance of spotting rare desert elephants, a few intrepid tourists make their way to the Skeleton Coast each year. It's just about as remote as any tourist destination on earth, but one that pays fabulous dividends. "