Bruce Chatwin quotes

Bruce Chatwin was a British writer and travel journalist renowned for his unique blend of fiction and non-fiction. His books, such as "In Patagonia" and "The Songlines," redefined travel literature with their lyrical style and philosophical depth. He influenced generations of writers and travelers with his curiosity and adventurous spirit. Here are 9 of his quotes:

Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the "things" of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. "We give our children guns and computer games," Wendy said. "They gave their children the land."

Bruce Chatwin

I haven't got any special religion this morning. My God is the God of Walkers. If you walk hard enough, you probably don't need any other god.

Bruce Chatwin

Walking is a virtue, tourism is a deadly sin.

Bruce Chatwin

I learned about Chinese ceramics and African sculptures, I aired my scanty knowledge of the French Impressionists, and I prospered.

Bruce Chatwin

As a general rule of biology, migratory species are less 'aggressive' than sedentary ones. There is one obvious reason why this should be so. The migration itself, like the pilgrimage, is the hard journey: a 'leveller' on which the 'fit' survive and stragglers fall by the wayside. The journey thus pre-empts the need for hierarchies and shows of dominance. The 'dictators' of the animal kingdom are those who live in an ambience of plenty. The anarchists, as always, are the 'gentlemen of the road'.

Bruce Chatwin

Because they knew each other's thoughts, they even quarrelled without speaking.

Bruce Chatwin

As you go along, you literally collect places. I'm fed up with going to places; I shan't go to anymore.

Bruce Chatwin

The history of Buenos Aires is written in its telephone directory. Pompey Romanov, Emilio Rommel, Crespina D. Z. de Rose, Ladislao Radziwil, and Elizabeta Marta Callman de Rothschild - five names taken at random from among the R's - told a story of exile, desolation, disillusion, and anxiety behind lace curtains.

Bruce Chatwin