When I started writing, I did have some idealised notion of my dad as a writer. But I have less and less of a literary rivalry with him as Ive gone on. I certainly dont feel I need his approval, although maybe thats because Im confident that Ive got it. – Paul Theroux
The amount of hassle involved in travel can be overwhelming. – Paul Theroux
A travel book is about someone who goes somewhere, travels on the ground, sees something and spends quite a lot of time doing it, and has a hard time, and then comes back and writes about it. Its not about inventing. – Paul Theroux
Death is an endless night so awful to contemplate that it can make us love life and value it with such passion that it may be the ultimate cause of all joy and all art. – Paul Theroux