“ Amin is the shame of the whole world. The fact that he managed to rule so long and commit so many crimes was only possible thanks to the hypocrisy of the East and the West who were waging the Cold War… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ I remember that during the period leading up to independence in Angola in 1975, I was the only correspondent there at all for three months. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world was allowed to fly in, because Angola was closed otherwise. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ He killed his enemies because he was afraid they would kill him. Amin ordered entire tribes to be put to death, because he feared they would rebel. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ There are several reasons why Russians view the oppressive state positively. First, in the Russian Orthodox religion, there is an understanding of authority as something sent by God. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ In the First World War, there was the sudden passion of nationalism, and the killing took place because of these emotions. But the Soviet case is different, because you had systematic murder, like the… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ My writing is a combination of three elements. The first is travel: not travel like a tourist, but travel as exploration. The second is reading literature on the subject. The third is reflection. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ This is the most intimate relationship between literature and its readers: they treat the text as a part of themselves, as a possession. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ Amin knew that neither West nor East would criticize him for fear that he would support the other side. He felt he was untouchable and he said so openly. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ In the Russian experience, although the Russian state is oppressive, it is their state, it is part of their fabric, and so the relation between Russian citizens and their state is complicated. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ The tradition of Russian literature is also an eastern tradition of learning poetry and prose by heart. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ Readership was high, and very attentive. It was people's only source of knowledge about the world. Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ The witch is a dangerous person. Neither his appearance nor his behaviour betray his satanic nature. He does not wear special clothing, he does not have magical instruments. He does not boil potions,… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ His August Majesty chided the bureaucrats for failing to understand a simple principle: the principle of the second bag. Because the people never revolt just because they have to carry a heavy load, o… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ […] I began to see Algiers as one of the most fascinating and dramatic places on earth. In the small space of this beautiful but congested city intersected two great conflicts of the contemporary worl… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ Two lusts breed in the soul of man: the lust for aggresion, and the lust for telling lies. If one will not allow himself to wrong others, he will wrong himself. If he doesn't come across anyone to lie… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ There is something in this January Siberian landscape that overpowers, oppresses, stuns. Above all, it is its enormity, its boundlessness, its oceanic limitlessness. The earth has no end here; the wor… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ This is natural: one must read Herodotus's book-and every great book-repeatedly; with each reading it will reveal another layer, previously overlooked themes, images, and meanings. For within every gr… Ryszard Kapuscinski
“ The unschooled European mind, inclined to rational reduction, to pigeonholing and simplification, readily pushes everything African into a single bag and is content with facile stereotypes. Ryszard Kapuscinski
