A cross between a foreign legion boot-camp and a secret-society initiation ritual, the ordeals were grounded in pain. One thing was obvious: the agenda, which was dedicated to grave discomfort, had been drawn up by a passionate sadist.

— Tahir Shah

A journey, I reflected, is of no merit unless it has tested you.

— Tahir Shah

A journey of observation must leave as much as possible to chance. Random movement is the best plan for maximum observation

— Tahir Shah

A little imagination goes a long way in Fe's.

— Tahir Shah

A man who embarks on a journey must know when to end it.

— Tahir Shah

An intelligent enemy,' he would say, stroking his beard as if it were a bristly pet, 'rather than a foolish friend.' Or, 'He learned the language of pigeons, and forgot his own.' Or, the favorite of Jan Fishman Khan: 'Nothing is what it seems.

— Tahir Shah

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

— Tahir Shah

As anyone who's ever taken an Ethiopian bus knows, there is an unwritten rule that the windows must remain firmly closed.

— Tahir Shah

As a travel writer I've specialized in gritty, fearful destinations, the kind of places that make a reader's hair stick on end.

— Tahir Shah

As far as I was concerned, a little danger of head-shrinking is a small price to pay in return for a people who have remained true to an ancient code.

— Tahir Shah