The desert Arabs had no tradition of civilisation behind them; no architectural inheritance - they lived in black tents, or in rooms devoid of furnishings in their villages and towns. They had no taste for refinements, demanded only the bare necessities of life. It was a life that produced much that was noble, little that was gracious and nothing that was artistic.

— Wilfred Thesiger Desert, Marsh and Mountain (1979)

More quotes by Wilfred Thesiger

The Marsh Arabs (1964)

Desert, Marsh and Mountain (1979)

Desert, Marsh and Mountain (1979)

Arabian Sands (1959)

The Life Of My Choice (1987)

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Wilfred Thesiger (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.