Monday, October 06, 2008

Travel is fatal to bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Broad wholesomeness and charitable views cannot be acquired by vegetating in one tiny corner of the globe.
Mark Twain.

Borrowed from Rolf Potts.

6 comments:

mareymercy said...

I am travel-phobic, but then again, I am already open-minded, liberal, wholesome and charitable. So does that make it okay that I'm a homebody? :)

Di Mackey said...

I had a wee giggle, twitches. I think that's something you would have to take up with Mark Twain.

I'm trying to back away from political news as of today. I do believe I might have been thinking intensely of Sarah Palin when I put that quote there ...

You, on the other hand, seem like someone I would welcome into my home with your open-minded, liberal, wholesom and charitable ways ... that sense of humour of yours is a delight too :)

Lydia said...

Love that Twain quote. I guess I have the same question as twitches. I've been traveling in my mind since I was a little girl. Back then I even included my future husband in my prayers, and I was positive he wasn't in the U.S., maybe Ireland. That didn't pan out but the travel dream is alive in me still...

paris parfait said...

One of my all-time favourite quotes.

Di Mackey said...

A lot of travel writers write of the constant questions they get from those who don't travel and usually accept it as their penance for freedom. Perhaps Mark was reacting to that with his words because clearly I wouldn't say that of you Lydia.

I have to admit, it's up there for me too Tara ... especially after exposure to most countries immigration policies.

Anonymous said...

While I obviously agree with the quote, I discovered that traveling can reveal that a charming country can have its fair share of (often partially hidden) bigotry.

While I was enjoying the Bodrum, Turkey marina last September, I bumped into a state-issued huge billboard,
denying the Armenian genocide
during WWI (before Turkey as the country we know today even existed)

I was most upset, given the "right in your face" location of the billboard in front of Bodrum castle (in English, targeted at tourists)

So travel cannot only be fatal to bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness, travel can also expose it.

Picture over at my blog.