---
title: "1 Understood Iran Quotes By James Aldridge"
description: "1 Understood Iran quotes by James Aldridge. Plus more from James Aldridge and more Understood Iran sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/james-aldridge-23659_breaking-point_all-your-decisions-discount-the-persians_2404164.jpg"
---

> [“All your decisions discount the Persians themselves, and that is the mistake of your ignorance and your plotting. To you the Persian is a stupid peasant who can't decide his own affairs; an uncultured wretch who will take all manner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/all-your-decisions-discount-the-persians-themselves-and-that-is-the/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/james-aldridge-23659_breaking-point_all-your-decisions-discount-the-persians_2404164.jpg)

## More by James Aldridge

> [“If we do not stop these mar-makers not,...it will soon be too late. We are the only nation that can halt this crusade. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/if-we-do-not-stop-these-mar-makers-not-it-will-soon-be-too-late-we/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“The Americans love to play diplomacy by making scares. It's a crude method.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/the-americans-love-to-play-diplomacy-by-making-scares-it-s-a-crude/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“Religious fanaticism is simply good politics in the middle-eastern countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/religious-fanaticism-is-simply-good-politics-in-the-middle-eastern/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“Firstly, the Azerbaijanian struggle for a measure of autonomy and self-government is genuine and is locally inspired. The facts of history and existing conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/firstly-the-azerbaijanian-struggle-for-a-measure-of-autonomy-and-self/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“America capital has taken up this easy banner of world disorder and we are simply the poor willing fools that follow on behind. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/america-capital-has-taken-up-this-easy-banner-of-world-disorder-and/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“How do you English Socialists believe in Empire like that?' Steele said to Holmes. 'Empire is inimical to Democracy and it has no right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/how-do-you-english-socialists-believe-in-empire-like-that-steele-said/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“A man may have the right to criticize the Government, but I'm hanged if he has a right to brazenly use his free speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/a-man-may-have-the-right-to-criticize-the-government-but-i-m-hanged/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“I'd like you to see that we are interfering too drastically. WE can't just assume so completely that Azerbaijan is in the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/i-d-like-you-to-see-that-we-are-interfering-too-drastically-we-can-t/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“This solid permanence in Foreign Office affairs had always antagonized MacGregor: there was something threatening and deadly and over-sure in it. The building itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/this-solid-permanence-in-foreign-office-affairs-had-always/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“Nothing that was said in here would decide MacGregor's fate. That decision was being made elsewhere. This was not the highest Court in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/nothing-that-was-said-in-here-would-decide-macgregor-s-fate-that/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [ “You are claiming that the Soviet authorities began and influenced the existence of the Democratic Party \[in Iran\]. That is the basis of all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/you-are-claiming-that-the-soviet-authorities-began-and-influenced-the/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“MacGregor shrugged. 'More than the population are opium addicts,' he said. 'Don't dismiss it like that,' she told him impatiently. 'I'm not dismissing it,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/macgregor-shrugged-more-than-the-population-are-opium-addicts-he-said/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“It's easy these days to buy a nation, but it's quite difficult to take it by force.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/it-s-easy-these-days-to-buy-a-nation-but-it-s-quite-difficult-to-take/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“The Honourable Lady confuses the American people with American policy… It is the very generosity of the American people which makes it possible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/the-honourable-lady-confuses-the-american-people-with-american-policy/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [“I have betrayed no confidence and no trust. I simply wrote a letter in which I stated the truth--for the Government or anybody else.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/i-have-betrayed-no-confidence-and-no-trust-i-simply-wrote-a-letter-in/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

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                        "text": "“All your decisions discount the Persians themselves, and that is the mistake of your ignorance and your plotting. To you the Persian is a stupid peasant who can't decide his own affairs; an uncultured wretch who will take all manner of deceit and oppression and diplomatic twisting. If you do see any signs, any glimmer of revolt, you blame the Russians and take it to the Security Council. But it isn't the Russians. It's the peasant himself who is revolting. If any of you understood Iran you would know that. Dirty and wretched they may be, opium-ridden and backward and dull, but they are really the people you should fear, not the Russians. It may take time and there may be set-backs, but sooner or later the Persians are going to throw us out and throw out all our corrupt and friendly governments. They don't need any complicated political excuse to revolt, however much you cry Communism. There isn't a simple man, woman or child in Iran who isn't landlord-ridden,m who isn't a slave by the way in which he works, who isn't preyed upon by corrupt officials, who isn't beaten and insulted and robbed by the police and the army. The peasants are impoverished by the tithes they must pay the Khans, and the mechanics are underpaid and underfed and overworked. There isn't an adult in Iran who isn't ridden with some chronic disease, there isn't a child who survives all the ravages of poverty and dirt and sickness. The whole government structure is rotten with bribery and extortion and petty cruelties, and there isn't a modicum of justice in the land. There are no real courts, no political rights, no representative government, no wage laws, no right to organize, no means of adjusting the bad conditions of life except by revolting as the Azerbaijanians and the Kurds are revolting. Thank heavens the Russians have given them a chance to revolt; and damn us for preventing it wherever we can. We will fail anyway, whatever the Security Council decides in New York. You can get the Russians out of Azerbaijan and you can give it back to your merchants and wazirs of Teheran, but after a little while it will all begin again because you cannot stop the Persian from deciding his own affairs. He is not ignorant and stupid to his political situation. He is not so wretched and afraid of revolt. He is not even uncultured: in the language he speaks and the use he makes of it there is more natural culture among the peasants of Iran than you can find among the world's diplomats a the Savoy Hotel. He is backward and poor and dirty, but that is largely due to the influence we have had on Iran for a hundred years or more. Now it is too late for us. These people have reached the breaking point and they don't care about the wise men of the House of Commons and the clever men of the Security Council. These people are desperate, and for our reckless methods of holding our power and our oil it ought to be a warning. It will all go. The oil, the power, and the last drop of influence. Rather than let us have any of it the Persian will wreck Abadan and the wells and every other sign of our presence and our strength there. They are beginning to hate us and that is beginning a battle which we can't stop, which you can't stop in the Security Council. Unless we are determined to kill every man in the country we will lose. We cannot help but lose.”",
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