“ you have the soul of a desert man,” he said. “maybe that is the one real division between men: wood men and desert men. the orient’s dry intoxication comes from the desert, where hot wind and hot sand make men drunk, where the world s simple and without problems. the woods are full of questions. only the desert does not ask, does not give, and does not promise anything. but the fire of the soul comes from the wood. the desert man - i can see him - has but one face, and knows but one truth, and that truth fulfills him. the woodman has many faces. the fanatic comes from the desert, the creator from the woods. maybe that is the main difference between East and West.
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from Ali and Nino, by Kurban Said
