To Be Human
Conversations are at the heart of what it means to be human.
- Theodore Zeldin
Rajasthan, India
A boy listens as the elders talk at a traditional wedding festival.
India
The character of a man is known from his conversations.
Menander (342 BCE – 292 BCE)
Tibet
The most fruitful and natural exercise for our minds is, in my opinion, conversation.
- Michel de Montaigne, The Essays: A Selection
 Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
The great gift of conversation lies less in displaying it ourselves
than in drawing it out of others.
- Jean De La Bruyere
 California, USA
LebanonÂ
The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation,
not overturning it.
- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Yemen
Druze Elders, Lebanon
Golden Temple, Amritsar, India
Angkor Wat temple complex, Cambodia
When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you.
When it is unspoken you reign over it.
- Arab Proverb
Lourdes, France
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after.
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
Brazil
Kashmir
Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Kabul, Afghanistan
France
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing
at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
- Dorothy Nevill
Russia
Thailand
Bursa, Turkey
A single conversation with a wise man is
better than ten years mere study of books.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Dublin, Ireland
Maimana, Afghanistan
Steve McCurry, Afghanistan
For information about Steve’s photographic expedition to Burma, please visit our website.
http://stevemccurry.com/expeditions/myanmar-expedition
February 16, 2013 at 04:05
[...] To Be Human « Steve McCurry’s Blog. [...]
January 28, 2013 at 19:10
This gallery is pure photography.
January 28, 2013 at 18:54
Reblogged this on Geek Detected .
November 5, 2012 at 03:48
It goes without saying that the photos are beautiful. But what I loved the most is that you are stringed together those pictures for a theme each of which tells a story on its own. I loved the theme of your blog as well.
Again, gorgeous photos
October 3, 2012 at 10:16
Incredible pictures!
September 26, 2012 at 15:11
wordpress template…
[...]To Be Human « Steve McCurry's Blog[...]…
September 16, 2012 at 17:33
Reblogged this on Mind of a Curious Adolescent and commented:
Love it
September 14, 2012 at 02:06
Human story! Our Story!
Steve! I am very happy to meet you at Seoul(2012-9-11)..
September 8, 2012 at 03:49
Sheer bliss capturing every story… inspiring..
Photostory – EVERYONE HAS A STORY – http://sreeniviews.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/everyone-has-a-story/
September 5, 2012 at 22:18
[...] also: Steve McCurry, To Be Human, Look how people talk with their hands in Tibet, Lebanon, Yemen, Lebanon, France, Kashmir, France, [...]
September 5, 2012 at 18:22
[...] Check out his website and blog. [...]
September 5, 2012 at 10:04
Breathtaking, deeply moving and inspiring. Thank you.
September 4, 2012 at 16:18
Beautiful work Steve, photos and words!!!!
September 3, 2012 at 23:08
i love it
September 3, 2012 at 20:43
I said it is Greate Work… Sep 12 2012 your exhibition Seoul,Korea. Well come Seoul Stev!!!
Hope to See you….
September 3, 2012 at 19:14
Steve, your photography is inspiring! I cannot stop looking at your photos!
September 3, 2012 at 08:25
Great work!
Love the three old ladies, what a shot!!
kind regards, Corina
September 2, 2012 at 19:57
Wonderful!!!
September 1, 2012 at 11:47
Your wonderful photos stand on their own, however, the effort you have put into pairing your images with articulated ideas about the human condition raise the art into a complex exercise of reflection and appreciation. Thank you. Your many project themes never fail to move and enrich!
August 31, 2012 at 21:16
[...] Steve McCurry is back:- http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/20…7/to-be-human/ [...]
August 31, 2012 at 14:02
[...] Conversations are at the heart of what it means to be human. – Theodore Zeldin Rajasthan, India A boy listens as the elders talk at a traditional wedding festival. India The character of a man is k… [...]
August 30, 2012 at 15:29
you continually amaze me!
August 30, 2012 at 14:43
wow
August 30, 2012 at 14:00
Steve, I love the last picture where in you are in the local wears in Afghanistan. Bravo!
Thank you for sharing these….
August 30, 2012 at 12:03
good works – thanks for sharing…
August 30, 2012 at 08:47
A stunning collection of work as usual. Thank you for sharing it with us.
August 30, 2012 at 03:43
What a nice shot. Love it very much.
August 30, 2012 at 02:38
I love the topic. and the pictures are so moving.
August 29, 2012 at 21:02
Amazing ! I love it
August 29, 2012 at 20:14
LOVELY PHOTOS. THANK YOU
August 29, 2012 at 17:45
Just brilliant…
August 29, 2012 at 15:38
I Love your last photograph. The way you pick themes for this blog is wonderful.
August 29, 2012 at 11:31
Showing in a great way (with all these rich colours and details) that we are all humans, that we are all the same deep down..
August 28, 2012 at 23:32
Dear Mr. McCurry,
You continue to inspire me!
Sincerely,
Your Silent Audience
August 28, 2012 at 21:41
Congrats, Steve…I’ve nominated you for the “One Lovely Blog Award”
The post is here: http://makeacrane.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/one-lovely-blog-award-nomination/
Best,
Meia
August 28, 2012 at 20:23
stunning images Steve, thank you.
August 28, 2012 at 19:42
I love you!
Thank you for your work!
August 28, 2012 at 18:51
Dear Mr McCurry…Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful…No words…As I have said in other ocassions, you HAVE eyes!! It is beautiful to see the intensity in the others eyes, faces, hands, bodies…Listening, apprehending, thinking at the same time, waiting for their own moment…It is the same for every age, for every culture, for both sexes… It is true that conversation is inherent to mankind…
You know? I love talking but my husband always points out that I am unable to walk and talk at the same time!!!
Big hug and many thanks!
August 28, 2012 at 18:29
I love your pictures…
August 28, 2012 at 17:24
this photographs converses with the audience..!!
superb indeed..
August 28, 2012 at 17:21
Que pasada…!!!!
August 28, 2012 at 16:45
Simply delicious. Great work Steve!
August 28, 2012 at 16:29
Reblogged this on LivingByCamera.
August 28, 2012 at 16:24
As always, you have chosen a great topic for further exploration, – love how you have put all of these conversations in the broader context of PLACE… well done , thank you! Lovely light on woman’s face, Pere Lachaise ( I have been there! ) –
look forward to whatever your next topic is! Best regards
August 28, 2012 at 15:52
Is there anywhere you haven’t been? Amazing!
August 28, 2012 at 15:46
YOU ARE GREAT!!!!!!!
August 28, 2012 at 15:33
As always your images have left me pondering…you capture slices of life that others pass over. Thanks for the ponder…and the amazing images…
August 28, 2012 at 15:25
Masterful story telling! Again.
August 28, 2012 at 14:11
pure poetry .. thanks
August 28, 2012 at 13:17
Come sempre piene di emozioni
August 28, 2012 at 13:14
You are so inspiring. Each and every time I view your photographs my heart grows a little warmer. Stunning set of the human race across all cultures.
August 28, 2012 at 12:50
Opening a post from you is like opening a gift from the universe. With a magical effect, you bring an awareness while casting a hypnotic spell over the reader. I savor then bask in each image, each quote before scrolling to the the next. Like stardust or a sweet dream, a bit of your magic lingers throughout the day – thank you! Z
August 28, 2012 at 12:09
Awesome work once again… A great new series… Love every picture…
August 28, 2012 at 10:28
Eye and heart opening.
August 28, 2012 at 09:55
Reblogged this on Oxford School of Photography.
August 28, 2012 at 08:48
i love the one with the white nurses. amazing.
August 28, 2012 at 08:12
Truly masterful. Thank you.
August 28, 2012 at 08:07
Fabulous, really look forward to a new blog and cannot get enough.Your images really capture the essence
of being human.
August 28, 2012 at 07:53
Moving photos and quotes – I love your blog.
August 28, 2012 at 07:35
Brilliant as usual.
http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/
August 28, 2012 at 06:04
i am at a loss of words to tell you how beautiful and amazing this collection is, and the others too. i wish i could be one tenth as good as you.
August 28, 2012 at 05:45
Simply the best
August 28, 2012 at 05:16
very nice
August 28, 2012 at 04:49
You make me want to click!
August 28, 2012 at 04:28
Did you take all those pictures AM? They are so beautiful and I learned something new from you! Thanks for sharing.
August 28, 2012 at 03:41
You are absolutely amazing combination of words and images priceless thank you …jill charlotte in south africa
August 28, 2012 at 03:32
True inspiration…master of color photography on film.
August 28, 2012 at 03:30
Master of color photography on film….great colors…u have been a great inspiration.
August 28, 2012 at 03:15
Wow!!!,
Second from top made me curious as the place looks very much familiar. Seems like you were there just after Holi.
August 28, 2012 at 02:54
Amazing photography. Big fan!
August 28, 2012 at 02:45
I am soooooo grateful. This is such a gift.
Thank you .
Monica
August 28, 2012 at 02:36
Wonderful as always … I look forward to your new posts !! Bravo !!
August 28, 2012 at 02:31
Beautiful work!
August 28, 2012 at 02:11
Thank you Steve for sharing your incredible gift with us!
August 28, 2012 at 01:46
Is that you on the right in the Lebanon image? Are these photos from current assignments from the past or a mixture of both.
August 28, 2012 at 01:18
Will not be able to take great pictures if there is no such deep love for you
August 28, 2012 at 00:56
Hello Steve, Thank you for the pleasure you give so many people. I get excited when a new Blogg arrives
in my inbox. kind regards.
August 28, 2012 at 00:43
Sempre deslubrantes!!!!!
August 28, 2012 at 00:18
Wonderful, as always…
August 28, 2012 at 00:10
Hits the perfect spot. Beautiful photography and wise and touching thoughts.
August 27, 2012 at 23:41
Las tomas como siempre fantásticas. Una buena conversación es estimulante para proseguir sin que te interese el tiempo, el lugar , el sueño … María Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 20:42:40 +0000 To: maga1161@hotmail.com
August 27, 2012 at 23:40
Beautiful and wise. Thank you, what a great conversation.
August 27, 2012 at 22:24
A beautiful collection of photographs. I particularly like the blue-green and orange, with the men perched like birds in the corner cubbyhole in Kashmir. They are all filled with an abundance of stories. The colors, as always, are captivating.
August 27, 2012 at 21:48
Nothing inspires me more than Steve McCurry…Respect
August 27, 2012 at 21:45
Uma sensibilidade impressionante, Nós fotografamos o que somos, o que temos em nosso coração e vejo que o seu é cheio de bondade , compreensão, mesmo em fotos onde a violência esta explicita o sr, consegue captar o belo, o singelo.
Através de suas fotos vemos que é possÃvel viver em um mundo melhor.
Abraços do Brazil
August 27, 2012 at 21:44
These are wonderful pictures. It gave me a glance into all the different countries with their communication between people. Conversation is the highest sign of respect.
August 27, 2012 at 21:33
as always I am amazed and moved to tears at the humans you have captured in your lens….Soooo love the monks thank you
August 27, 2012 at 21:29
Once again, you’ve captured the beauty of an intimate moment. Wonderful shots, thanks.
August 27, 2012 at 21:18
I continue to be totally amazed and inspired with each and every image! As an amateur photographer, you are my “hero” ! Wonderful photos!
August 27, 2012 at 21:12
[...] I found this post from my favorite photographer Steve McCurry who became famous when the portrait of “The Afghan Girl” with the piercing green eyes was published in National Geographics in 1985. This is a photo of Tibet and another amazing series of photos he has taken, on what it means “To be Human“. [...]
August 27, 2012 at 21:11
Reblogged this on antropothings and commented:
Brillante como siempre. Steve McCurry nos ofrece una serie de imágenes que desvelan aquello que nos hace humanos: la comunicación verbal.
August 27, 2012 at 21:06
[...] презTo Be Human « Steve McCurry’s Blog. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
August 27, 2012 at 21:05
Beautiful….as usual.
August 27, 2012 at 21:02
Sometimes photography invades pictures so well that we can’t see the difference.
And sometimes photographer invades human habitat so natural that we see life itself…
August 27, 2012 at 20:52
thank you sir .
August 27, 2012 at 20:52
¡Gorgeous! Mi favorite, the one of Cambodia. All of them are wonderfull, but this one is very shocking. Love it. Congratulations.
August 27, 2012 at 20:49
just wonderful
August 28, 2012 at 17:42
Beautiful, pure art!