The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. It's not that it guarantees peace with itself or with its neighbors. ... Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality. — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable. — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say, 'You can't afford to break… — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
“He [Babur] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest breed of dog in the world. . . . The dogs of Ghor . . . were always regarded as particularly special mastiffs. . . . 'so powerful that in frame and strength every one of them is a match for a lion.” — Rory Stewart Copy Share
The politicians think the journalists have power, the journalists think bankers have power, bankers think lawyers have power. The truth is, nobody has power. — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
“I recited and followed this song-of-the-places-in-between as a map.” — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few designers and wage rates are astonishingly high - which is a problem when trying to support and promote Afghan craft exports. The community in Murad Khani in the old city - who we are helping to… — Rory Stewart Copy Share
I have planted over 6,000 trees at home in Scotland, some of them oak. I'd like my children to be able to watch them grow. — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
If things are going wrong in a country, it's not usually that we don't have enough foreigners. It's usually that we have too many. — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
For politicians to be honest, the public needs to allow them to be honest, and the media, which mediates between the politicians and the… — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.” — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
I left things out - my motivations, my history, my emotional responses - because I am not good at understanding them or writing about… — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
