Shantaram

A fantastic experience. And it really helped me to ... to put things in focus. Sometimes you break your heart in the right way, if you know what I mean.

‘Is he married?’
‘No.’
‘Not married? Thirty, and not married? What’s wrong with him?’
‘He’s European. A lot of them get married only when they’re old.’
‘That’s crazy.’

The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart

The past reflects eternally between two mirrors - the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.

slap and sting of sunlight

scarlet arch of sky,

sweating smell of hope, which is the opposite of hate

It's kind of weird-in most holiday places, the people are angry and the sea is calm. In Biarritz, it's the other way around.

In matters of food I am French, in matters of love I am Italian, and in matters of business I am Swiss. Very Swiss.

Being listened to—really listened to—is the second-best thing in the world.