Rick Steves

“Feed the hungry and you're a saint, ask why they are hungry and you're a communist.”

“Europe’s reluctance to go to war frustrates some Americans. I believe their relative pacifism is because Europeans know the reality of war, while most Americans do not. …. It’s easier to feel detached when a war is something you watch on the nightly news, rather than something that killed your grandfather or destroyed your hometown.”

“People everywhere hear the excuse “there’s not enough money”. In actuality, there is enough money… just different priorities. New stadium, heathcare for all, faster trains, extravagant cathedral, subsidized education, tax cuts, next-generation bomber … each society makes different choices according to its priorities.”

“Travel is intensified living … and one of the last great sources of legal adventure.”

“Be militantly optimistic”

“I believe if you’re going to bomb someone you should know them first. It should hurt when you kill someone.”

“Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors.”

“Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate sourvenir is a broader perspective.”

“If you don't like a place, maybe you don't know enough about it... Give a culture the benefit of your open mind.”

“I would like travelers, especially American travelers, to travel in a way that broadens their perspective, because I think Americans tend to be some of the most ethnocentric people on the planet. It's not just Americans, it's the big countries. It's the biggest countries that tend to be ethnocentric or ugly. There are ugly Russians, ugly Germans, ugly Japanese and ugly Americans. You don't find ugly Belgians or ugly Bulgarians, they're just too small to think the world is their norm.”

“Self-consciousness kills communication.”

“Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something is not to your liking, change your liking.”