The Cold War in Africa is one of the darkest, most disgraceful pages in contemporary history, and everybody ought to be ashamed.
Ryszard KapuscinskiLiterature seemed to be everything then. People looked to it for the strength to live, for guidance, for revelation.
Ryszard KapuscinskiOur 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 KapuscinskiThe so-called new Russian man is characterized mainly by his complete exhaustion. You may find yourself wondering if he has the strength to enjoy his new-found freedom. He is like a long-distance runner who, on reaching the finishing line, is incapable even of raising his hands in a gesture of victory.
Ryszard KapuscinskiMore than anything, one is struck by the light. Light everywhere. Brightness everywhere. Everywhere, the sun.
Ryszard KapuscinskiIn Poland a man must be one thing: white or black, here or there, with us or against us -- clearly, openly, without hesitations. . . . We lack the liberal, democratic tradition rich in all its gradations. We have instead the tradition of struggle: the extreme situation, the final gesture.
Ryszard Kapuscinski