I have spent my life on the road waking in a pleasant, or not so pleasant hotel, and setting off every morning after breakfast hoping to discover something new and repeatable, something worth writing about. Paul Theroux breakfastdiscoverhope share on social
I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. It's like a kiddie thing, a complete time waster. Paul Theroux cellphonecompleteconversation Change image and share on social
Writing is pretty crummy on the nerves. Paul Theroux crummynervepretty Change image and share on social
My love for traveling to islands amounts to a pathological condition known as nesomania, an obsession with islands. This craze seems reasonable to me, because islands are small self-contained worlds that can help us understand larger ones. Paul Theroux amountconditioncontain share on social
There are places that I've always wanted to go. First I went to Africa, and when I was there I realized there were places in Africa I really to wanted to visit: The Congo, West Africa, Mombassa. I wanted to see the deep, dark, outlandish places. Paul Theroux africacongodark share on social
Nyasaland was the perfect country for a volunteer. It was friendly and destitute; it was small and out-of-the-way. It had all of Africa's problems - poverty, ignorance, disease. Paul Theroux africacountrydestitute Change image and share on social
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 I've gone on. I certainly don't feel I need his approval, although maybe that's because I'm confident that I've got it. Paul Theroux approvalconfidentdad share on social
A gun show is about like-minded people who feel as if everything has been taken away from them - jobs, money, pride. Paul Theroux feelgunjob Change image and share on social
The appeal of travel books is also the sense that you are different, an outsider, almost like the Robinson Crusoe or Christopher Columbus notion of being the first person in a new place. Paul Theroux appealbookchristopher Change image and share on social
Mark Twain was a great traveler and he wrote three or four great travel books. I wouldn't say that I'm a travel novelist but rather a novelist who travels - and who uses travel as a background for finding stories of places. Paul Theroux backgroundbookfind share on social
