quote of the day

from Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski

"Some think that man went into the desert out of poverty, because he had no other choice. But it was exactly the opposite. In Turkmenistan only those who had herds could go into the desert, and thus only the rich; nomadism was a privilege of the wealthy. "A sojourn in the desert," says Professor Gabriel, "is an honor, the desert is the chosen ground." The transition to a sedentary life was for the nomad always a last resort, a sign of failure in life, a degradation. One can settle a nomad only by force, by economic or political coercion. For him, the freedom that the desert gives has no price."