161 Quotes by Tahir Shah

The only thing they valued higher than ammunition were Man United footballs.

My father used to say that stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.

In some peculiar way, indeed, the rules were now beginning to seem quite logical. It was then I knew that I had been in India long enough.

For my father there was no sharper way to understand a country than by listening to its stories.

At the dealership, I pulled out the sieve and toyed with it threateningly. When the salesman was ready for me, I held it up, told him I was not a tourist and demanded a large discount.

Stories are a communal currency of humanity.

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.

My father never told us how the stories worked. He didn't reveal the layers, the nuggets of information, the fragments of truth and fantasy. He didn't need to -- because, given the right conditions, the stories activated, sowing themselves.

Visit Cape Town and history is never far from your grasp. It lingers in the air, a scent on the breezy, an explanation of circumstance that shaped the Rainbow People. Stroll around the old downtown and it's impossible not to be affected by the trials and tribulations of the struggle. But, in many ways, it is the sense of triumph in the face of such adversity that makes the experience all the more poignant.