V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River

“Small things start us in new ways of thinking”
― V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River

“Life is a helluva thing. You can see trouble coming and you can't do a damn thing to prevent it coming. You just got to sit and watch and wait.”
― V.S. Naipaul

“Certain emotions bridge the years and link unlikely places.”
― V.S. Naipaul

“I often wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't made that decision. I suppose I would have sunk. I suppose I would have found some kind of hole and tried to hide or pass. After all, we make ourselves according to the ideas we have of our possibilities. I would have hidden in my hole and been crippled by my sentimentality, doing what I was doing, and doing it well, but always looking for the wailing wall. And I would never have seen the world as the rich place that it is. You wouldn't have seen me here in Africa, doing what I do.”
― V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River