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House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City QUOTES

House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City QUOTES

1 " There comes a stage at which a man would rather die cleanly by a bullet than by the unknown terror of the phantom in the forest. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

2 " 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 , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

3 " In the world of the Machiguenga, sadness could be equated with anger, and anger was a perilous emotion, by which a foreigner could lose his life. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

4 " The quest for a lost city erodes your body, damaging you beyond all reason. But it is your mind that bears the heaviest toll. Listen to the doubters, the worriers and the weak, and the vaguest hope of success evaporates. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

5 " Previous journeys in search of treasure have taught me that a zigzag strategy is the best way to get ahead. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

6 " 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 , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

7 " The rain of Madre de Dios is similar to that of the Amazon, but there is a petrifying aspect to it, as if it seeks to wound rather than to nurture. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

8 " Any man who has ever led an army, an expedition, or a group of Boy Scouts has sadism in his bones. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

9 " 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

10 " 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. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

11 " On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

12 " The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

13 " On a harsh expedition, there's no space for anyone who does not intend to finish. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

14 " I struggled to think pure thoughts, as Hector sucked out my psyche with his eyes. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

15 " The ability to tell a good route from a terrible one is a valuable skill when leading an expedition. Unfortunately for us all, it was a skill I did not possess. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

16 " As the head of an expedition, you can't pussyfoot around being polite to everyone. You have to show your teeth once in a while; a little growling goes a long way. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

17 " Searching for a lost city is a particularly European obsession. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

18 " Through a strange kind of geographic arrogance, Europeans like to think that the world was a silent, dark, unknown place until they trooped out and discovered it. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

19 " There are two ways to find a lost city. The first is to rely on luck alone, the second is to control all the information. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City

20 " Exploration is a dirty game. "

― Tahir Shah , House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City