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The biggest misfortune in human history is the invention of the combustion engine. Cars and airplanes diminish the world, rob it of all its diversity. Young men who meet me want to know how they could do what I've done. But all they can be is tourists now.

— Wilfred Thesiger

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More quotes by Wilfred Thesiger

Once again I experienced the longing to share this life, and to be more than a mere spectator.

The Marsh Arabs (1964)

Now that the Arabs are among the economic masters of the world I fear that many will find unendurable the boredome of their wealth.

Desert, Marsh and Mountain (1979)

To me it is always the people rather than the places that matter.

Desert, Marsh and Mountain (1979)

I craved for the past, resented the present, and dreaded the future.

Arabian Sands (1959)

Personally, I would forgo any other comfort to drink clean water.

The Life Of My Choice (1987)

All Wilfred Thesiger quotes →

Attribution

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.