161 Quotes by Tahir Shah

Nothing was really so important to my father as the achievement of selflessness. He rarely mentioned it directly, but tried to guide us to it in a roundabout way.

It is almost impossible to overemphasize the importance with which ancestry is held in the Middle East and North Africa.

The backstreet cafe in Casablanca was for me a place of mystery, a place with a soul, a place with danger. There was a sense that the safety nets had been cut away, that each citizen walked upon the high wire of this, the real world. I longed not merely to travel through it, but to live in such a city.

The first few hours in the cell were quite stimulating. I'd never been in a prison cell before and was quite enjoying the experience.

In Morocco, before you even get to the matter of the sale, you have to coax the owner to sell.

In the West we are driven by an extreme form of guilt -- if you are not seen to be working like a dog, you're perceived as being slothful.

We may yearn for rustic detail and old-world charm, but those who have it set their minds on vinyl wallpaper, fitted carpets and all mod cons.

Everyone knows that even the best exorcism has to be renewed once in a while.

Calcutta’s the only city I know where you are actively encouraged to stop strangers at random for a quick chat.