Change can only come from local citizens and politicians - it cannot be imposed by well-meaning foreigners - not least because a society like Afghanistan or Iraq is suspicious of outsiders and often resistant to change. I am not going… — Rory Stewart Copy Share Image
This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable. — Rory Stewart Copy Share
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
“He [Babur] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest… — 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
The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few… — 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
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
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
“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.” — Rory Stewart Copy Share
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
I like connecting to places by foot, and I'm interested in experiencing how somewhere like Crieff connects to somewhere like London. — Rory Stewart Copy Share
Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity. — Rory Stewart Copy Share
