Kapuściński Quotes on the World and History
Ryszard Kapuściński's quotes on the world, history and civilisation — on nationalism, fanaticism and the power of questions. From Imperium, The Shadow of the Sun, Lapidarium and Travels with Herodotus.
Translation note: Unless a published English translator is named, the wording on this page is an editorial translation from Polish and may differ from the authorised English-language edition.
A selection of Ryszard Kapuściński’s quotes on the world and history — on nationalism, fanaticism, civilisation and the power of questions. Thoughts from Imperium, The Shadow of the Sun, the Lapidarium notebooks and Travels with Herodotus.
📖 See also: all quotes by Kapuściński · Imperium — analysis
On the world and what threatens it
“Three plagues, three contagions, threaten the world. The first is the plague of nationalism. The second is the plague of racism. The third is the plague of religious fundamentalism. All three share one trait, a common denominator — an aggressive, all-powerful, total irrationality.” — Imperium
“People do not go hungry because there is no food in the world. There is plenty of it, an excess. But between those who want to eat and the full warehouses stands a high obstacle: political calculation. Whoever has the guns has the food. Whoever has the food has the power.” — The Shadow of the Sun
“A civilisation that asks no questions, that casts out of its orbit the whole world of unease, criticism and searching, is a civilisation standing still, paralysed, motionless.” — Imperium
On history and time
“If reason ruled the world, would history even exist?” — The Shadow of the Sun
“History is often the product of thoughtlessness. It is the bastard child of human stupidity, the offspring of blindness, idiocy and madness.” — The Shadow of the Sun
“In times of peace sons bury their fathers; in war, fathers bury their sons.” — Travels with Herodotus
“Human affairs run in a circle, and its turning does not allow the same people to be happy.” — Travels with Herodotus
On questions, crisis and fanaticism
“When questions appear to which there are no answers, it means a crisis has arrived.” — Lapidarium
“An anachronistic system is one that gives old answers to new questions.” — Lapidarium
“If out of many truths you choose only one and follow it blindly, it turns into a falsehood and you become a fanatic.” — Lapidarium
See also
source: kapuscinski.info