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Previous journeys had taught me the danger of taking too much stuff.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
Once in a very long time you come across a book that is far, far more than the ink, the glue and the paper, a book that seeps into your blood.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi
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Previous journeys in search of treasure have taught me that a zigzag strategy is the best way to get ahead.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
In moments of great uncertainty on my travels, I have always felt that something is protecting me, that i will come to no harm.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
The very fact that a Frenchman was prepared, after two minutes of conversation, to be so friendly towards anyone, especially one who had come from England, made me restless.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
The forest did not tolerate frailty of body or mind. Show your weakness, and it would consume you without hesitation.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
Respect was one thing. Survival was another. It was important that I kept my priorities in the right order.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi
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My father used to tell me that stories offer the listener a chance to escape but, more importantly, he said, they provide people with a chance to maximize their minds. Suspend ordinary constraints, allow the imagination to be freed, and we are charged with the capability of heighetned thought.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
I was becoming addicted to Bombay. There was squalor and poverty, but I had begun to realise my good fortune and would never again forget it.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
During the days I felt myself slipping into a kind of madness. Solitary confinement has an astonishing effect on the mind. The trip was to stay calm and keep myself occupied. I spent hours working out how to break free. But trying to escape would have been instant suicide.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
Through bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
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.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
Searching for a lost city is a particularly European obsession.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi
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Any man who has ever led an army, an expedition, or a group of Boy Scouts has sadism in his bones.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
A little imagination goes a long way in Fes.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
These days no one challenges us,' he said. 'And because there is no challenge, there is no reason to work hard. And with no reason to work hard, we have all become lazy.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
My father used to say that stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
In India everything has a use and a value.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
To Succeed, you must reach for the stars, and let your imagination find its own path
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi
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On a harsh expedition, there's no space for anyone who does not intend to finish.
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi -
Back at the Chateau Windsor there was a rat-like scratching at the door of my room. Vinod, the youngest servant, came in with a soda water. He placed it next to the bag of toffees. Then he watched me read. I was used to being observed reading. Sometimes the room would fill like a railway station at rush hour and I would be expected to cure widespread boredom
Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi