Exploration Quotes in The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

The need to record every observation was so ingrained that during Robert Falcon Scott's race to the South Pole he continued to make notations ever as he and all his men were dying. (6.10)

Okay, we keep adding to our list of explorer traits. Somewhere between "bored" and "crazy" we can add "cold and distant." These men are scientists first and foremost, and they don't get emotionally attached to the men on their mission. To them, everyone is a statistic.

Quote #8

Wasn't an explorer really just an infiltrator, someone who penetrated alien lands and returned with secrets? (8.2)

It's hard to tell if this is Grann's idea or Fawcett's, but we think both men would think similar thoughts. Both of them see the somewhat darker side to their exploration, and they try to balance it by being kind and respectful to the native population.

Quote #9

"I envy my great-grandfather, really," Isabelle said. "In his day, you could still go marching off and discover some hidden part of the world. Now where can you go?" (9.5)

Today, the desire for exploration seems to have turned away from our planet and outward into the solar system. Because, we guess, what's left to find here? Definitely not as much as there used to be.