Quotes

[answering criticism that he only showed the positive aspects of the places he visited] How would I have gained admittance to those countries if I had commented on their social problems? Aside from being very rude, it would have been counterproductive. I made my pictures at a time when travel was almost impossible for the average person. I believe I showed people what they would have wanted to see if they could have gone themselves. For years I had a travel agency, too. I don't recall anyone ever requesting a tour of slums and prisons.

[from a 1940 interview] I would like to debunk the idea that a world traveler must know several languages to get along - I speak just pidgin stuff in foreign countries. It's surprising what you can do with pantomime. In Canton, I get in a rickshaw and push the man in the back with my feet twice to go ahead. Don't forget the old smile. It's the smile that counts whether you're in Siberia or on the Lower East Side of New York City.