Ryszard Kapuscinski Quotes

A collection of quotes by Ryszard Kapuscinski.

Ryszard Kapuscinski (1932-2007) was a renowned Polish journalist, writer, and photographer who became one of the most respected voices in international journalism. Born in Pinsk, Poland (now Belarus), he began his career in the 1950s, reporting on Polish and European affairs for the Polish Press Agency.

Kapuscinski's work took him to numerous countries, particularly in Africa, where he covered various conflicts, coups, and revolutions. He possessed a deep curiosity for the diverse cultures and complex social and political dynamics of the places he visited. Rather than simply reporting events objectively, Kapuscinski sought to capture the essence of the people and the environments in which they lived.

His first-hand experiences and vivid storytelling style allowed him to present a nuanced perspective and reveal the deeper truths about the societies he encountered. Kapuscinski's distinctive approach to journalism, marked by his empathetic understanding of the human condition, earned him international acclaim.

Throughout his career, Kapuscinski authored numerous books, including "The Emperor," "Shah of Shahs," and "The Soccer War," which became influential texts in the field of literary journalism. His writing often blurred the line between journalism and literature, and he was recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Prix du Livre Européen and the Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger.

Ryszard Kapuscinski passed away in 2007, leaving behind a substantial body of work that continues to inspire and inform journalists, writers, and readers around the world. He is remembered as an intrepid chronicler of the human experience and a master of literary reportage.

Money changes all the iron rules into rubber bands.

Money changes all the iron rules into rubber bands.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Money

Readership was high, and very attentive. It was people's onl

Readership was high, and very attentive. It was people's only source of knowledge about the world.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Knowledge

Our salvation is in striving to achieve what we know we'll n

Our salvation is in striving to achieve what we know we'll never achieve.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Idealism

Our job is like a baker's work -- his rolls are tasty as lon

Our job is like a baker's work -- his rolls are tasty as long as they're fresh; after two days they're stale; after a week, they're covered with mould and fit only to be thrown out.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Journalism

We follow the mystics. They know where they are going. They,

We follow the mystics. They know where they are going. They, too, go astray, but when they go astray they do so in a way that is mystical, dark, and mysterious.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Mysticism

When man meets an obstacle he can't destroy, he destroys him

When man meets an obstacle he can't destroy, he destroys himself.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Difficulty

Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and rel

Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and relatively free; that for the moment you are not under lock and key: you have simply been granted a reprieve.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Oppression

A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so m

A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles -- whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled -- is vulnerable to manipulation and regimentation. The struggle for survival is, above all, an exercise that is hugely time-consuming, absorbing and debilitating. If you create these anti-conditions, your rule is guaranteed for a hundred years.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Survival

First you destroy those who create values. Then you destroy

First you destroy those who create values. Then you destroy those who know what the values are, and who also know that those destroyed before were in fact the creators of values. But real barbarism begins when no one can any longer judge or know that what he does is barbaric.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Value

Although a system may cease to exist in the legal sense or a

Although a system may cease to exist in the legal sense or as a structure of power, its values (or anti-values), its philosophy, its teachings remain in us. They rule our thinking, our conduct, our attitude to others. The situation is a demonic paradox: we have toppled the system but we still carry its genes.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Revolution

When is a crisis reached? When questions arise that can't be

When is a crisis reached? When questions arise that can't be answered.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Trouble Troubles

Be careful: they have arms, and no alternatives.

Be careful: they have arms, and no alternatives.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Power

In a society of little economic development, universal inact

In a society of little economic development, universal inactivity accompanies universal poverty. You survive not by struggling against nature, or by increasing production, or by relentless labor; instead you survive by expending as little energy as possible, by striving constantly to achieve a state of immobility.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Economics

The tradition of Russian literature is also an eastern tradi

The tradition of Russian literature is also an eastern tradition of learning poetry and prose by heart.

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Learning

There are several reasons why Russians view the oppressive s

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

Religion

My writing is a combination of three elements. The first is

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

Travel

Amin knew that neither West nor East would criticize him for

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

Fear

This is the most intimate relationship between literature an

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

Relationship

He killed his enemies because he was afraid they would kill

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

Death