--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not choose to live in Tangier…" description: "\"“I did not choose to live in Tangier permanently; it happened. My visit was meant to be of short duration; after that I would move on, and keep moving ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/paul-bowles-3731_diminishing-quality_i-did-not-choose-to-live-in-tangier-perm_2254188.jpg" --- # I did not choose to live in Tangier permanently; it… ![“I did not choose to live in Tangier permanently; it happened. My visit was meant to be of short duration; after that I would move on, and keep moving onward indefinitely. I grew lazy and put off departure. Then a day came when I realized with a shock that not only did the world have many more…” quote by Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/paul-bowles-3731_diminishing-quality_i-did-not-choose-to-live-in-tangier-perm_2254188.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/paul-bowles-3731_diminishing-quality_i-did-not-choose-to-live-in-tangier-perm_2254188.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/paul-bowles-3731_diminishing-quality_i-did-not-choose-to-live-in-tangier-perm_2254188.jpg) > ““I did not choose to live in Tangier permanently; it happened. My visit was meant to be of short duration; after that I would move on, and keep moving onward indefinitely. I grew lazy and put off departure. Then a day came when I realized with a shock that not only did the world have many more people in it than it had had only a short time before, but also that the hotels were less good, travel less comfortable, and places in general much less beautiful. After that when I went somewhere else I immediately longed to be back in Tangier. Thus if I am here now, it is only because I was still here when I realized to what an extent the world had worsened, and that I no longer wanted to travel.”” [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A temporary stay turned permanent as the world changed, making the familiar place more valuable than new, less satisfying experiences. **In simple terms:** He stayed because the world got worse and he missed Tangier. Key Takeaway Appreciate what you have before it fades. Themes nostalgia place change contentment Mood melancholic reflective Type personal travelogue When to use this quote - travel - relocation - urban decline - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism environmental perception psychology of place Questions to Reflect On - What makes a place feel like home? - How do we balance longing for the familiar with exploring new horizons? A Different Perspective The view may be romanticizing stagnation over growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Modern life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-life/) [Overpopulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overpopulation/) [Tangier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tangier/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“Tangier is a one-horse town that happens to have its own government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/tangier-is-a-one-horse-town-that-happens-to-have-its-own-government/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“Tangier is more New York than New York. ... Then you must see how alike the two places are. The life revolves wholly about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/tangier-is-more-new-york-than-new-york-then-you-must-see-how-alike/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [Tangier is one of the few places left in the world where, so long as you don't proceed to robbery, violence, or some form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/tangier-is-one-of-the-few-places-left-in-the-world-where-so-long-as/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [If you do not see what is around you every day, what will you see when you go to Tangiers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-patterson/if-you-do-not-see-what-is-around-you-every-day-what-will-you-see-when/) [Freeman Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-patterson/) > [You realize how much fun we did have, with no money at all. We'd stay in peoples' homes in Tangiers. When you're young, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manolo-blahnik/you-realize-how-much-fun-we-did-have-with-no-money-at-all-we-d-stay/) [Manolo Blahnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manolo-blahnik/) > [A photographer who wants to see…must recognize the value of the familiar. 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