Cape Town Quotes

“If a person argues with you, know they are uncertain. ”
― Meir Ezra

“Your inner voice is the voice of your past.”
― Meir Ezra

“You can only give things that you own, and you own only those things you consider you created.”
― Meir Ezra

“If you see someone who doesn’t have what they want it’s because they cannot give. They cannot accept because they cannot give.”
― Meir Ezra

“Every time you are in doubt, you are actually killing yourself. Decide!”
― Meir Ezra

“When you are certain, you won’t need to argue.”
― Meir Ezra

“Reasons (for things or events) always contain lies.”
― Meir Ezra

“Certainty has nothing to do with "the facts".”
― Meir Ezra

“You are harsh on others and yourself to the degree that you don’t know how important you are.”
― Meir Ezra

“Visit Cape Town and history is never far from your grasp. It lingers in the air, a scent on the breezy, an explanation of circumstance that shaped the Rainbow People. Stroll around the old downtown and it's impossible not to be affected by the trials and tribulations of the struggle. But, in many ways, it is the sense of triumph in the face of such adversity that makes the experience all the more poignant.”
― Tahir Shah, Travels With Myself

“Archie Henderson has won no awards, written no books and never played any representative sport. He was an under-11 tournament-winning tennis player as a boy, but left the game when he discovered rugby where he was one of the worst flyhalves he can remember. This did not prevent him from having opinions on most things in sport.

His moment of glory came in 1970 when he predicted—correctly as it turned out—that Griquas would beat the Blue Bulls (then still the meekly named Noord-Transvaal) in the Currie Cup final. It is something for which he has never been forgiven by the powers-that-be at Loftus. Archie has played cricket in South Africa and India and gave the bowling term military medium a new and more pacifist interpretation. His greatest ambition was to score a century on Llandudno beach before the tide came in.”
― Archie Henderson

“MOUNT PLAASMOORDE
If ever you visit South Africa
And do
Leave the brilliant beaches of Cape Town for a moment
Climb Mount Plaasmoorde Witkruis monument
And you’ll see the victims of apartheid
White crosses marking a thousand white victims
Planted in the earth of a million black victims
They lie dissolved in the humus of the soils
They were too many to have their own marked graves
Too many to build black crosses for
And just too hard to forget about
Because they make the soil under your feet black”
― Mawuena Addo, Roses in the Rainbow

“Yorkshire had none of the color I'd known in Cape Town- the vivid pinks and purples of the freesias and arum lilies in the flower sellers' baskets. Yorkshire had none of the fragrant floral perfume, or the tang of salt in the air from the ocean.”
― Hazel Gaynor, The Cottingley Secret

“Regardless of one's destination, all roads lead home.”
― hlbalcomb

“what if there was an uncanny moment when all the birds were grounded from Cape Town to Juneau, and everywhere between--all feathers frozen in a universal stutter, so quick as to make a snail of light, and even Stephen Hawking's mind would miss it?”
― Kristen Henderson, Drum Machine

“Gone were the days where December locked coastal towns down in the grips of labour. Although it was still mostly true, things had changed ; Cape Town had adapted its rhythm to the influx of foreign feet. Tourism was a year -round thing and no longer limited to the summer. Most local tourists still flocked here during this time, but Capetonians didn’t seem too bothered to serve at their beck and call. Sam thought of Cape Town as France , and the rest of the country as England. The city, although relying heavily on local tourism – feigned ignorance when it came to the contribution of these outsiders to its wellbeing.”
― Adelheid Manefeldt, Consequence

“Captain Dönitz concluded our dance in typical German fashion, by clicking his heels and kissing my hand. Later that evening Richard reluctantly apologized for his behavior. I could understand that he had been totally engrossed with his duties and decided to forgive the incident and move on. That evening quite a number of the cadets had also asked me for a dance. I felt flattered but decided that I would be loyal to Richard. Later in Germany, Richard loved to tell this story to friends and family or anyone else that would listen.
However, it wasn’t until much later that I learned that I had danced with Captain Dönitz, who was later to become the bedecked Grand Admiral of the German Navy and then the successor to Adolf Hitler as the “Head of State.”
― Captain Hank Bracker, "Salty & Saucy Maine"

“Cape Town lived up to its name as the tavern of the seas. It was a wonderful fun place and I loved it. The weather was Mediterranean and after two weeks at sea, all the girls were beautiful. The crew was convinced that the constant sunshine, in this part of the world, had something to do with it but whatever the reason, it seemed to be true. Luckily I could get off the ship on a Saturday afternoon, when all of South Africa comes to a halt. For whatever reason South African tradition called for all the shops to close and only restaurants, bars, beer halls and other vital services remained open. For an otherwise stargy place, they got this one right.
I headed for Delmonico’s on Riebeeck Street across from the famous Alhambra Theatre where everyone went to have fun. When I got there I found the place packed, but luckily I found a seat at a table, in a corner that was not quite as loud as the rest of the hall. It all started off all right while as we listened to the vivacious brunette playing a huge Hammond Organ. From the marque I knew that her name was Cherry Wainer, a celebrated musical star in South Africa.
It didn’t take long for me to introduce myself to her and before I knew it she had the manager find me a seat right up in front. The amplified sound of swing music filling the hall would have been enjoyable if it wasn’t for the crew of another ship that were causing a problem. I never looked for a fight but I also never back away from one and this time was no exception. It all happened very quickly and obviously they didn't take kindly to my intervention. One of them charged and took a wild swing that just missed me. I was lucky that he missed me but I didn't as I rammed him backward, pushing his total weight onto their table. The table collapsed and the libations on it toppled, totally soaking him.”
― Captain Hank Bracker, "Salty & Saucy Maine"

“We need to get diverse books into the hands of our kids.”
― Emelia Govender, The Magical Adventures of Cyan: I Believe In Book Fairies, Do You?

“Do you believe in book fairies?”
― Emelia Govender, The Magical Adventures of Cyan: I Believe In Book Fairies, Do You?

“DWAAL, noun, a dreamy, dazed, or absent-minded state. "In that space of peaceful serenity, I finally understood that home is where you heart feels free. A place far removed from any physical barriers or constraints. Home is a space where you feel alive. You feel like dancing. A dance called dwaal – meaning to wander into the uncharted waters of our stories unexplored and underrepresented chapters" (All Roads Lead to Cape Town, a novel about the birthplace of our togetherness and amazing words like 'dwaal' -- side note, born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, J.R.R. Tolkien described this word through his own unique perspective when he said: 'Not all who wander are lost'.”
― H.L. Balcomb, All Roads Lead to Cape Town