Best Afghan Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“If Beirut was the supermarket of the left in the 1970s, where Marxists, communists, Egyptians, Iraqis, and all the Palestinian factions debated and theorized, published and drank in bars arguing over ideas and the fought in the streets, Peshawar was the supermarket of the Islamists in the 1980s without drinking: there the discussions were about Islamic law, fatwas, the war of the believers, the unity of the Muslim nation, and the humanitarian needs of Afghan refugees.”

Isis Al Qaeda Afghan Beirut Islamist Peshawar

Book:Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East

Source: Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East

“An intelligent enemy,' he would say, stroking his beard as if it were a bristly pet, 'rather than a foolish friend.' Or, 'He learnt the language of pigeons, and forgot his own.' Or, the favourite of Jan Fishan Khan: 'Nothing is what it seems.”

Wisdom Afghanistan Sufism Sufis Proverbs Folklore Saying Afghan

Book:Sorcerer's Apprentice

Source: Sorcerer's Apprentice

“If you dive for it, you will find it. Who says there is no pearls in the ocean?”

Memoir Publishing Afghan

Book:One Life: An Afghan Remembers

Source: One Life: An Afghan Remembers

“I myself had to grow a longer beard and Afghan clothes. I was in danger of being kidnapped by smugglers, though I didn't know it at the time.”

Knows Grows Danger Clothes Beard Afghan Kidnapped Smugglers

Author:Mohsen Makhmalbaf

“Since 1996, the Feminist Majority Foundation has been immersed in a campaign to support Afghan women and girls in their fight against the brutal oppression of the Taliban.”

Has Beens Girl Fighting Support Foundation Majority Feminist Campaigns Oppression Brutal Taliban Afghan

Author:Eleanor Smeal

“If we can't understand the Afghan family, we can't understand Afghanistan.”

Ifs Afghanistan Afghan

Author:Asne Seierstad

“Do not ever threaten an Afghan with violence. We will rise as one and we will face every threat the way we have taken on thousands of previous armies and conquerors.”

Way Faces Taken Violence Army Threat Conqueror Afghan

Author:Ashraf Ghani

“Why don't we focus on what Afghan women can do? They can cook, bear children, and pray. As I recall, that was fine for our grandmothers.”

Children Can Do Focus Fine Bears Praying Cooks Grandmother Recalls Afghan

Author:Al Franken

“It's the Afghan national army that went into Najaf and did the work there.”

Army Afghan

Author:George W. Bush

“While the Taliban connives with foreign terrorists, the Afghan people suffer from poverty, drought and hunger.”

People Suffering Poverty Hunger Terrorist Taliban Drought Afghan

Author:Jack Straw

“Images of burning Red Cross and UN buildings struck by US bombs contrasted with images of thousands of desperately poor Afghan women carrying sickly and starving children out of Afghanistan as they flee the might of the US military is tearing at international public confidence in our war against terrorism.”

Children War Might Poor Military Building Red Crosses International Terrorism Burning Bombs Afghanistan Contrast Starving Afghan Us Military Red Cross

Author:Cynthia McKinney

“We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he that pays the price.”

Government Form Fighting Pay Ordinary Sick Tired Unity Corruption Pay The Price Afghan National Unity

Author:Ashraf Ghani

“The most significant thing is public participation. That assures the Afghan public that our promises are not empty.”

Promise Empty Significant Participation Afghan Significant Things

Author:Ashraf Ghani

“It's fair to say average Americans think that the average Afghan doesn't want American troops in their country.”

Thinking Want Country Fairs Average Troops Afghan American Troops

Author:Ashraf Ghani

“The Afghan War has clearly reached a stage similar to that moment at your child's party where you realise you've forgotten to give the other parents a pick up time.”

Giving Children War Moments Parent Party Stage Picks Forgotten Your Children That Moment Realising Afghan

Author:Jeremy Hardy

“It's going to be really interesting to see what the heroin market does in the next two years or so. One thing you can be pretty sure of. The Afghan peasants who grow poppies won't get rich. The money will end up in places like Dubai.”

Years Doe Two Ends Next Literature Grows Interesting Rich One Thing Two Years Peasants Really Interesting Get Rich Heroin Poppies Afghan Dubai

Author:Bruce Sterling

“If you take a look at Afghan history, usually they have united to defend against an outside enemy, and as soon as that's accomplished, they turn and start killing each other. This internal instability is a constant invitation to outside forces to come in. I have to think that after the awful years of the Taliban, most Afghans would want to remain at peace, and get the benefits of the new freedom they've found. But I can't be sure that old habits won't reassert themselves.”

“When I first got famous, Greg Dulli was also just starting to cook with the Afghan Whigs, and because of the MTV awards I met Dave Grohl and Nirvana and all these rock and roll bands. So I had experience with what it was like when people were taking off at that time.”

People Firsts Rocks Mets Band Starting Cooks Awards Rock And Roll Dave Mtv Afghan

Author:Denis Leary

“Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride price and child marriage, and to enforce women to be involved in school. Every time, the reaction from the traditionalists was one of contempt and scorn and at times outright rebellion. I think the emancipation of women in Afghanistan has to come from inside, through Afghans themselves, gradually, over time.”

Thinking Giving Children School Lasts Law Practice Century Involved Reactions Rebellion Contempt Afghanistan Multiple Autonomy Scorn Brides Emancipation Abolish Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“Without women taking an active role in Afghan society, rebuilding Afghanistan is going to be very difficult.”

Difficult Roles Active Afghanistan Rebuilding Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“In Afghan society, parents play a central role in the lives of their children; the parent-child relationship is fundamental to who you are and what you become and how you perceive yourself, and it is laden with contradictions, with tension, with anger, with love, with loathing, with angst.”

Children Play Parent Roles Fundamentals Who You Are Perceive Tension Contradiction Angst Loathing Afghan Parent Child Parent Child Relationship

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.”

States Government Security Handle Day To Day Afghan

Author:Stephen Harper

“I don't know anyone who is more admired and respected in the international community than President Karzai, for his strength, for his wisdom and for his courage to lead this country first in the defeat of the Taliban and now in rebuilding a democratic and unified Afghanistan. And I can tell you I am with foreign ministers and with heads of state all over the world. I sit in the councils of NATO. I sit with the EU. I sit with people all over the world and there is great admiration for your president and also for what the Afghan people are doing here.”

“The reality is that [Barack] Obama has some 15 countries in the current Libya coalition. President Bush put together close to 50 countries for the Afghan coalition, some 40 countries for the Iraqi coalition, more than 90 countries for the Proliferation Security Initiative and over 90 countries in the Global War on Terror.”

War Country Reality Together President Security Currents Terror Barack Initiative President Bush Coalitions War On Terror Libya Proliferation Afghan

Author:Donald Rumsfeld

“For a novelist, it’s kind of an onerous burden to represent an entire culture. That said, I’m in a unique position to speak on behalf of Afghanistan on certain issues that I feel are important, particularly the issue of Afghan refugees.”

Feels Kind Said Important Certain Culture Speak Issues Position Unique Burden Novelists Afghanistan Refugee Behalf Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“In the Afghan people, I found the most resilient, welcoming people who, for the first time in my career, never judged me over my right to tell this story - as a woman or a foreigner. A people who cherish their culture and history and the films that have captured that culture.”

People Firsts Stories Film Culture Found Careers First Time Welcome Cherish Judged Foreigners Captured Resilient Afghan

Author:Pietra Brettkelly

“If any overarching conclusion emerges from the Afghan and Iraq Wars (and from their Israeli equivalents), it's this: victory is a chimera.”

Ifs War Victory Iraq Conclusion Israeli Iraq War Afghan Chimera

Author:Andrew Bacevich

“The yearning to be Afghan, to be part of the country, part of the land helped me separate myself from the casual traveler and claim my Afghan identity.”

Country Land Identity Claims Yearning Traveler Casual Afghan

Author:Hyder Akbar

“To understand Afghanistan, you have to face the stress the average Afghan deals with.”

Faces Deals Stress Average Afghanistan Afghan

Author:Hyder Akbar

“It is painful to talk about it, but even with its 110,000 elite soldiers, the Soviet Union never managed to gain control over the entire Afghan territory.”

Gains Unions Soldier Painful Territory Soviet Elites Soviet Union Afghan

Author:Sergei Ivanov

“The Afghan government is as corrupt as a prostitute with a law degree.”

Government Law Degrees Afghan

Author:Craig Ferguson

“Today the Iraqi and Afghan people are on the path to democracy and freedom. The governments that are rising will pose no threat to others. Instead of harboring terrorists, they're fighting terrorist groups. And this progress is good for the long-term security of all of us.”

People Long Government Today Fighting Term Democracy Path Progress Groups Security Threat Terrorist Long Term Rising Afghan Terrorist Groups

Author:George W. Bush

“Afghan women, as a group, I think their suffering has been equaled by very few other groups in recent world history.”

Thinking World Has Beens Suffering Groups World History Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“The Taliban's acts of cultural vandalism - the most infamous being the destruction of the giant Bamiyan Buddhas - had a devastating effect on Afghan culture and the artistic scene. The Taliban burned countless films, VCRs, music tapes, books, and paintings. They jailed filmmakers, musicians, painters, and sculptors.”

Book Film Culture Effects Painting Scene Musician Destruction Painter Artistic Filmmaker Giants Tape Burned Taliban Sculptors Infamous Afghan Vandalism Vcr

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“As the leader of a country, you are not free to enjoy the luxury of such feelings. The Afghan people want peace, which requires persistence. We are determined to defend our country, and the whole region and the entire world understands the justice of our cause and the principled way in which we have engaged in it.”

People World Way Want Country Whole Feelings Causes Enjoy Justice Leader Determined Our Country Luxury Persistence Engaged Regions Afghan Principled

Author:Ashraf Ghani

“The Afghan "negotiation phase" immediately precedes the traditional Afghan "surrender phase." This entails the following: The defeated party surrenders and then comes out shooting. This is repeated several times. Finally, the vanquished party runs out of ammunition and is forced to surrender ' but seriously this time ' at which point the victors kill the foreigners and hug their fellow Afghans like long-lost brothers.”

Long Running Lost Party Brother Fellows Following Surrender Traditional Shooting Hug Phases Defeated Negotiation Foreigners Ammunition Afghan Lost Brother

Author:Ann Coulter

“Seeing the Afghan women in their burqas, it's easy to say, "Well, they're not as fully aware as I am, so why do I have to worry so much about their plight?" But that's a misunderstanding. They are brutally aware of their station.”

Wells Easy Worry Seeing Stations Misunderstanding Plight Afghan Burqa

Author:Eliza Griswold

“The president [Barack Obama] decided to leave more troops than he had originally planned in Afghanistan. We have a very cooperative government there, with Ashraf Ghani and his top - his top partner, Abdullah. And they are doing their very best. And the Afghan army is actually fighting. The Afghan army is taking heavy losses defending Afghan territory.”

Government Fighting President Loss Decided Army Heavy Partners Barack Territory Afghanistan Troops President Barack Obama Cooperatives Afghan

Author:Hillary Clinton

“Well, the movie isn't bad. For a while, I even told myself I liked it, even as it missed one mark after another. But in the end, it's shapeless and blandly apolitical, apart from its watered-down feminism. You see, Fey's Kim Baker - changed from Barker - transforms herself from a neophyte reporter, condescended to by male war correspondents, soldiers and Afghan officials, into a hard-charging political animal who speaks the language fluently and parties as hard as men. That's about as edgy as a sitcom.”

“It's hard for comic actors used to pulling faces just to be on screen, but Tina Fey does a good job. I liked watching her. The part, though, isn't filled in. When Baker announces that she's gotten too used to the madness of Afghanistan, that she's worried she's thinking of it as normal, the sentiment comes out of nowhere. The dramatic arc in "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is nonexistent. The movie evaporates in the mind like water in the Afghan desert.”

“In terms of Iraq, al Qaeda valued Iraq because we destroyed a government it wanted destroyed and because we put soldiers on the ground and forces that they could attack. Al Qaeda is basically an insurgent organization that was formed on the model of the Afghan groups. And being bred in that war, they value a contiguous safe haven as much as anything else.”

War Government Wanted Values Force Term Groups Havens Safe Models Organization Soldier Iraq Destroyed Als Al Qaeda Insurgent Safe Haven Afghan

Author:Michael Scheuer

“Obviously what I think Senator [John] Kerry was pointing to, which is absolutely correct, which is the essential part of the strategy or a key component or a leg on the stool, is an Afghan partner that is ready to take control of both the security situation in Afghanistan, and the civilian side of that.”

Thinking Sides Situation Security Ready Keys Essentials Strategy Legs Partners Afghanistan Senators Components Pointing Civilians John Kerry Take Control Stools Afghan

Author:Rahm Emanuel

“I mean,you will have an Afghan government. There are two roads here. One is obviously a run-off election or a negotiated settlement. But what's most important about that process is that there's a credibility and a legitimacy to the government at the end of that process. So which road they choose, that's up to them. It must have - be legitimate and credible in the eyes of the Afghan people.”

People Mean Two Important Ends Government Eye Running Process Election Credibility Settlement Credible Legitimacy Afghan Two Roads

Author:Rahm Emanuel

“The Afghan - obviously the parties will decide which course of action. The most important there, get a government that is seen as legitimate to the people and has the credibility to be a partner in the effort to secure Afghanistan so it's not a haven for al Qaeda or other type of terrorists or international terrorist organizations.”

People Important Government Action Courses Party Effort Havens Type Organization International Partners Terrorist Secure Als Afghanistan Credibility Al Qaeda Afghan

Author:Rahm Emanuel

“I'm reading a bunch of fiction by Afghan and Iraq War veterans for a New Yorker piece. There hasn't been that much, but it's starting to come out, and some of the fiction is really good.”

War Reading Fiction Pieces Starting Iraq Bunch Veteran New Yorkers Iraq War Afghan War Veteran

Author:George Packer

“Carolyn Maloney led the fight to make sure that DNA evidence kits are processed and passed the Debbie Smith Bill. She, when no one almost would listen to us on the whole issue of the Taliban and its treatment of women, she helped pass the Afghan Women's Empowerment Act.”

Whole Fighting Issues Evidence Empowerment Bills Treatment Dna Taliban Afghan Dna Evidence

Author:Eleanor Smeal

“Carolyn Maloney has been a consistent fighter for Afghan women but also for International Family Planning Bills.”

Has Beens Bills International Planning Fighter Consistent Afghan Family Planning

Author:Eleanor Smeal

“I mean, how many men would have gone on to the floor of the House as Carolyn Maloney did and wear a burkha to show the fight of Afghan women.”

Men Mean Shows Fighting House Gone Afghan

Author:Eleanor Smeal

“I have been involved with the UN refugee agency for a few years now, and we have done events to speak about refugees, focusing more and more on the situation with Afghan refugees.”

Years Has Beens Done Speak Situation Events Involved Agency Refugee Afghan

Author:Khaled Hosseini

“We will also be funding projects that empower women and children in Afghanistan and now and then give scholarships to Afghan students here in the Bay Area.”

Giving Children Students Projects Areas Empowering Afghanistan Now And Then Empowering Women Funding Scholarship Afghan Bay Area

Author:Khaled Hosseini

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Afghan Quotes