The people of Hong Kong are criticized for only being interested in business, but its the only thing theyve been allowed to do. – Paul Theroux
The realization that he is white in a black country, and respected for it, is the turning point in the expatriates career. He can either forget it, or capitalize on it. Most choose the latter. – Paul Theroux
Friendship is also about liking a person for their failings, their weakness. Its also about mutual help, not about exploitation. – Paul Theroux
Mark Twain was a great traveler and he wrote three or four great travel books. I wouldnt say that Im a travel novelist but rather a novelist who travels – and who uses travel as a background for finding stories of places. – Paul Theroux
Other nations of different habits are not enemies: they are godsends. Men require of their neighbours something sufficiently akin to be understood, something sufficiently different to provoke attention, and something great enough to command admiration. We must not expect, however, all the virtues. – Alfred North Whitehead