161 Quotes by Tahir Shah

Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.

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

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.

Searching for a lost city is a particularly European obsession.

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.

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.

Exploration is a dirty game.

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.

In moments of great uncertainty on my travels, I have always felt that something is protecting me, that I will come to no harm.