--- title: "16 Want Quotes By Paul Theroux" description: "16 Want quotes by Paul Theroux. Plus more from Paul Theroux and more Want sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/paul-theroux-913_want_you-can-t-want-to-be-a-writer-you-have-t_696466.jpg" --- > [You can't want to be a writer. You have to be one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-want-to-be-a-writer-you-have-to-be-one/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/paul-theroux-913_want_you-can-t-want-to-be-a-writer-you-have-t_696466.jpg) > [I do not want to be young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-do-not-want-to-be-young-again/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/paul-theroux-913_again_i-do-not-want-to-be-young-again-3173055_3173055.jpg) > [People see a hungry face, and they want to feed it; that's a natural response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/people-see-a-hungry-face-and-they-want-to-feed-it-that-s-a-natural/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/paul-theroux-913_face_people-see-a-hungry-face-and-they-want-t_3031799.jpg) > [A place that doesn't welcome tourists, that's really difficult and off the map, is a place I want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/a-place-that-doesn-t-welcome-tourists-that-s-really-difficult-and-off/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/paul-theroux-913_difficult_a-place-that-doesn-t-welcome-tourists-th_1669421.jpg) > [I don't want to be the honored guest. I want to be the invisible person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-honored-guest-i-want-to-be-the-invisible-person/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/paul-theroux-913_guests_i-don-t-want-to-be-the-honored-guest-i-w_671638.jpg) > [The travel impulse is mental and physical curiosity. It's a passion. And I can't understand people who don't want to travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-travel-impulse-is-mental-and-physical-curiosity-it-s-a-passion/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/paul-theroux-913_curiosity_the-travel-impulse-is-mental-and-physica_2594319.jpg) > [I hate vacations. I hate them. I have no fun on them. I get nothing done. People sit and relax, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-fun-on-them-i-get-nothing-done/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/paul-theroux-913_done_i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-f_1335964.jpg) > [No one has ever described the place where I have just arrived: this is the emotion that makes me want to travel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-where-i-have-just-arrived-this-is/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/paul-theroux-913_emotion_no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-wher_296321.jpg) > [I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first-reason-for-my-travel-was-to/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/paul-theroux-913_about_i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first_2612696.jpg) > [Fogeydom is the last bastion of the bore and reminiscence is its anthem. It is futile to want the old days back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore-and-reminiscence-is-its/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/paul-theroux-913_anthem_fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore_245727.jpg) > [When I'm writing, I like to travel alone. If you really want to find out about a place, you need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone-if-you-really-want-to-find/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/paul-theroux-913_be-spontaneous_when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone_2973496.jpg) > [Travel is about failure or overcoming obstacles, overcoming failures. When a traveler is having lots of good luck, that is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-obstacles-overcoming-failures/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-theroux-913_book_travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-ob_2264715.jpg) > [Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to my practice at four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes-effusively-thanked-their/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/paul-theroux-913_advice_notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes_1375197.jpg) > [People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble, they write about having to wait for a bus. They write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/people-write-about-getting-sick-they-write-about-tummy-trouble-they/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/paul-theroux-913_boring_people-write-about-getting-sick-they-wri_833684.jpg) > [A travel book is a book that puts you in the shoes of the traveler, and it's usually a book about having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in-the-shoes-of-the-traveler/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/paul-theroux-913_arctic_a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in_934785.jpg) > [When you travel you realize how small you are. You need to be humble. You can't be a big, brash American. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-you-are-you-need-to-be-humble/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/paul-theroux-913_america_when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-yo_939342.jpg) ## Other authors on Want ## More by Paul Theroux > [I feel as if my mission is to write, to see, to observe, and I feel lazy if I'm not reaching conclusions. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-feel-as-if-my-mission-is-to-write-to-see-to-observe-and-i-feel-lazy/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-write-about-a-friend-you-can-only-write-about-a-former/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“sightseeing, an activity that delights the truly idle because it seems so much like scholarship, gawping and eavesdropping on antiquity, flattering oneself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/sightseeing-an-activity-that-delights-the-truly-idle-because-it-seems/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-australian-book-of-etiquette-is-a-very-slim-volume/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Tourists who go to Africa have more of a traditional experience than Africans do. A tourist goes on safari; Africans don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/tourists-who-go-to-africa-have-more-of-a-traditional-experience-than/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [In a way, Che Guevara's fate was far worse than Simon Bolivar's. Guevara's collapse was complete: his intentions were forgotten, but his style was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/in-a-way-che-guevara-s-fate-was-far-worse-than-simon-bolivar-s/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It is the simplest fact of Indian life: there are too many Indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/it-is-the-simplest-fact-of-indian-life-there-are-too-many-indians/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Pain does not create a long-lasting memory, but the memory of luxury exerts itself for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/pain-does-not-create-a-long-lasting-memory-but-the-memory-of-luxury/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [When I began to make some money, I really wanted to have a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-began-to-make-some-money-i-really-wanted-to-have-a-home/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Men in their late 50s often make very bad decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/men-in-their-late-50s-often-make-very-bad-decisions/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to disappear sends many travelers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-disappear-sends-many-travelers-away-if-you-are-thoroughly/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [To a lot of Africans, seeing an animal is a something of a rarity. So it's a paradox of this sort of parallel life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/to-a-lot-of-africans-seeing-an-animal-is-a-something-of-a-rarity-so/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-travel-seems-to-me-characteristically-human-the-desire-to/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/paul-theroux/#itemlist", "name": "16 Want Quotes By Paul Theroux", "numberOfItems": 16, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't want to be a writer. 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I want to see something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-fun-on-them-i-get-nothing-done/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/paul-theroux-913_done_i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-f_1335964.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/paul-theroux-913_done_i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-f_1335964.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ac/paul-theroux-913_done_i-hate-vacations-i-hate-them-i-have-no-f_1335964.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I hate vacations. I hate them. I have no fun on them. I get nothing done. 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It is one of the greatest reasons to go anywhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-where-i-have-just-arrived-this-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/paul-theroux-913_emotion_no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-wher_296321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/paul-theroux-913_emotion_no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-wher_296321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/paul-theroux-913_emotion_no-one-has-ever-described-the-place-wher_296321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one has ever described the place where I have just arrived: this is the emotion that makes me want to…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew that I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't want people to ask me questions about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first-reason-for-my-travel-was-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/paul-theroux-913_about_i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first_2612696.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/paul-theroux-913_about_i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first_2612696.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/paul-theroux-913_about_i-was-raised-in-a-large-family-the-first_2612696.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew that I…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fogeydom is the last bastion of the bore and reminiscence is its anthem. It is futile to want the old days back, but that doesn't mean one should ignore the lessons of the visitable past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore-and-reminiscence-is-its/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/paul-theroux-913_anthem_fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore_245727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/paul-theroux-913_anthem_fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore_245727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/paul-theroux-913_anthem_fogeydom-is-the-last-bastion-of-the-bore_245727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fogeydom is the last bastion of the bore and reminiscence is its anthem. It is futile to want the old days…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm writing, I like to travel alone. If you really want to find out about a place, you need to be as free as possible to be spontaneous. You also need to be lonely, because loneliness is a great teacher, too.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone-if-you-really-want-to-find/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/paul-theroux-913_be-spontaneous_when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone_2973496.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/paul-theroux-913_be-spontaneous_when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone_2973496.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/paul-theroux-913_be-spontaneous_when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-travel-alone_2973496.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm writing, I like to travel alone. If you really want to find out about a place, you need to be as…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Travel is about failure or overcoming obstacles, overcoming failures. When a traveler is having lots of good luck, that is not a happy book. That's a book you say, well, I don't need that. I want a life lesson. I want to find out - I want a journey that reflects my life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-obstacles-overcoming-failures/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-theroux-913_book_travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-ob_2264715.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-theroux-913_book_travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-ob_2264715.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/paul-theroux-913_book_travel-is-about-failure-or-overcoming-ob_2264715.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Travel is about failure or overcoming obstacles, overcoming failures. When a traveler is having lots of good…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to my practice at four in the morning,” etc. Writing is not figure skating or skiing. Your mother will not make you a writer. My advice to any young person who wants to write is: leave home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes-effusively-thanked-their/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/paul-theroux-913_advice_notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes_1375197.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/paul-theroux-913_advice_notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes_1375197.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/paul-theroux-913_advice_notice-how-many-of-the-olympic-athletes_1375197.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble, they write about having to wait for a bus. They write about waiting. They write three pages about how long it took them to get a visa. I'm not interested in the boring parts. Everyone has tummy trouble. Everyone waits in line. I don't want to hear about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/people-write-about-getting-sick-they-write-about-tummy-trouble-they/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/paul-theroux-913_boring_people-write-about-getting-sick-they-wri_833684.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/paul-theroux-913_boring_people-write-about-getting-sick-they-wri_833684.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/paul-theroux-913_boring_people-write-about-getting-sick-they-wri_833684.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble, they write about having to wait for a bus…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A travel book is a book that puts you in the shoes of the traveler, and it's usually a book about having a very bad time, having a miserable time, even better. You don't want to read a book about someone having a great time in the South of France, eating and drinking and falling in love. What you want to read is a book about a guy going through the jungle, going through the arctic snow, having a terrible time trying to cross the Sahara, and solving problems as they go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in-the-shoes-of-the-traveler/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/paul-theroux-913_arctic_a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in_934785.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/paul-theroux-913_arctic_a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in_934785.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/paul-theroux-913_arctic_a-travel-book-is-a-book-that-puts-you-in_934785.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A travel book is a book that puts you in the shoes of the traveler, and it's usually a book about having a…” — Paul Theroux", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you travel you realize how small you are. You need to be humble. You can't be a big, brash American. You think you have problems. You leave the States and you see people have bigger problems than you, much worse problems than you. They have nothing to eat, they have no water, they have no shelter, they have a terrible government. So you realize we complain about the government, we complain about food, whatever it is, and go somewhere else and you think, \"Now I realize,\" you say, \"Why people want to come to America.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-you-are-you-need-to-be-humble/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/paul-theroux-913_america_when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-yo_939342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/paul-theroux-913_america_when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-yo_939342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/paul-theroux-913_america_when-you-travel-you-realize-how-small-yo_939342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you travel you realize how small you are. You need to be humble. 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