--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fields and more fields on either side of…" description: "\"“Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From where they are it looks as if the whole world were green.But from higher up,from a hill-if ther..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg" --- # Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From… ![“Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From where they are it looks as if the whole world were green.But from higher up,from a hill-if there were a hill in this flat country-or from a pyramid(one of the many that two thousand years ago lined this route from Thebes to Memphis,from the…” quote by Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg) > ““Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From where they are it looks as if the whole world were green.But from higher up,from a hill-if there were a hill in this flat country-or from a pyramid(one of the many that two thousand years ago lined this route from Thebes to Memphis,from the Delta to the Cataract)or from an aeroplane today,you would be able to see how narrow the strip green was,how closely it clung to the winding river.The river like a lifeline thrown across the desert, the villages and the town hanging on to it, clustering together, glancing over their shoulders at the desert always behind them.Appeasing it,finally,by making it the dwelling of their head.”” [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. From a distance, the narrow green river strip appears tiny, but up close it is a vital lifeline for villages and towns. **In simple terms:** The river seems small from afar yet is essential for nearby communities. Key Takeaway Recognize the hidden importance of everyday resources. Themes environment perspective dependence Mood reflective thoughtful Type descriptive philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - environmental conservation - tourism guides - educational curricula Key Concepts scale perception geography human geography Questions to Reflect On - How does perspective change our understanding of resources? - What can be done to protect narrow lifelines? A Different Perspective Focusing only on the macro view can overlook local needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert Villages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert-villages-4166528/) [Lined Route](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lined-route-4166530/) [Road Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road-looks-2936579/) [Shoulders Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders-desert-4166529/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [Winding River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winding-river-1940112/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“Wind, light and time ever revolve; Let us then enjoy life as best we can." from "The Winding River”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tu-fu/wind-light-and-time-ever-revolve-let-us-then-enjoy-life-as-best-we/) [Tu Fu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tu-fu/) > [“At the moment when the road looks the harshest, and you think you cannot continue on that is when you relearn your first mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/at-the-moment-when-the-road-looks-the-harshest-and-you-think-you/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) > [“An old road always looks richer and more beautiful than a new road because old roads have memories!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/an-old-road-always-looks-richer-and-more-beautiful-than-a-new-road/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Revelation Chapter 18 details the many goods which are sold through the Daughter of Babylon’s ports. The lengthy list appears in Revelation 18:11-13. Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/revelation-chapter-18-details-the-many-goods-which-are-sold-through/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [“Change the fabric of their culture? It hasn’t happened yet, not in two thousand years. And it won’t happen now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-webb/change-the-fabric-of-their-culture-it-hasn-t-happened-yet-not-in-two/) [James Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-webb/) > [“The sorrow bird: We've gone too far. I'm afraid we can't go back. Hoopoe: Back?... There's a circle, bird. Why, just think of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-s/the-sorrow-bird-we-ve-gone-too-far-i-m-afraid-we-can-t-go-back-hoopoe/) [Peter Sís](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-s/) > [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Let us consider humanity a biogram (the basic DNA blueprint of the human organism and its potentials) united with a logogram (this set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/let-us-consider-humanity-a-biogram-the-basic-dna-blueprint-of-the/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [“Man is not a 'fixed and limited animal whose nature is absolutely constant'. He changed drastically when he developed 'divided consciousness' to cope with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/man-is-not-a-fixed-and-limited-animal-whose-nature-is-absolutely/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. 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Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [A thousand years may scare form a state. An hour may lay it in ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/a-thousand-years-may-scare-form-a-state-an-hour-may-lay-it-in-ruins/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) ## More by Ahdaf Soueif > [“There have been those among us who have been so dazzled by the might and technological wizardy of Europe that they have been rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/there-have-been-those-among-us-who-have-been-so-dazzled-by-the-might/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“It was too cold to dream”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/it-was-too-cold-to-dream/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [And Egypt ? What is Egypt strenght?her resilience ?her ability to absorb poeple and events into the pores of her being? is that true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/and-egypt-what-is-egypt-strenght-her-resilience-her-ability-to-absorb/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“Put football instead of cricket and she could have been me. She could have been Arwa, or Deena or any of the girls I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/put-football-instead-of-cricket-and-she-could-have-been-me-she-could/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“ I fancy he is attempting to purge himself of — all manner of things. I beg him to take heart, for our Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/i-fancy-he-is-attempting-to-purge-himself-of-all-manner-of-things-i/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [Egypt.mother of civilization, dreaming herself through the centuries. Dreaming us all, her children: those who stay and work for her and complain of her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/egypt-mother-of-civilization-dreaming-herself-through-the-centuries/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“Ya Ummi(my mother), I cannot live my life with a woman who has no key to my mind and does not share my concerns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/ya-ummi-my-mother-i-cannot-live-my-life-with-a-woman-who-has-no-key/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [It is that happy stretch of time when the lovers set to chronicling their passion. When no glance, no tone of voice is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/it-is-that-happy-stretch-of-time-when-the-lovers-set-to-chronicling/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“The encompassing silence and the ease(or difference) of my companions have left my soul free to contemplate, to drink in the wonder of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/the-encompassing-silence-and-the-ease-or-difference-of-my-companions/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [I now find myself looking at every sentence, every image, that purports to tell the West about the Arabs and the Muslims with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/i-now-find-myself-looking-at-every-sentence-every-image-that-purports/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“and the thought of relieving my mourning, even slightly, for a moment filled me with a kind of fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/and-the-thought-of-relieving-my-mourning-even-slightly-for-a-moment/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“Every day she waits for night-time. She goes to bed at half past eight because that is the earliest time she can imagine going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/every-day-she-waits-for-night-time-she-goes-to-bed-at-half-past-eight/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“I suppose it has been said that art sometimes benefits from a touch of madness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/i-suppose-it-has-been-said-that-art-sometimes-benefits-from-a-touch/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [Tell me, if you thought a man had a tendresse for you, but he wasn't doing anything about it. And you wanted to hurry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/tell-me-if-you-thought-a-man-had-a-tendresse-for-you-but-he-wasn-t/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) > [“Palestinian weddings are celebrated over coffee, but when a young man is killed his mother is held up over his grave. 'Trill out your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/palestinian-weddings-are-celebrated-over-coffee-but-when-a-young-man/) [Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) [Explore all 28 Ahdaf Soueif quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/) ## More Thousand years quotes > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [A thousand years may scare form a state. An hour may lay it in ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/a-thousand-years-may-scare-form-a-state-an-hour-may-lay-it-in-ruins/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [“days of the earliest Church? I ask you: Do you want things to go on as usual, or do you want to see God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall/days-of-the-earliest-church-i-ask-you-do-you-want-things-to-go-on-as/) [R. T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [“He still heard his mother's voice--"Davey"--rise like whisper-dust from unseen corners in the house, but it was no longer the only voice he heard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/he-still-heard-his-mother-s-voice-davey-rise-like-whisper-dust-from/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Man is not a 'fixed and limited animal whose nature is absolutely constant'. He changed drastically when he developed 'divided consciousness' to cope with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/man-is-not-a-fixed-and-limited-animal-whose-nature-is-absolutely/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [“Let us consider humanity a biogram (the basic DNA blueprint of the human organism and its potentials) united with a logogram (this set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/let-us-consider-humanity-a-biogram-the-basic-dna-blueprint-of-the/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“The sorrow bird: We've gone too far. I'm afraid we can't go back. Hoopoe: Back?... There's a circle, bird. Why, just think of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-s/the-sorrow-bird-we-ve-gone-too-far-i-m-afraid-we-can-t-go-back-hoopoe/) [Peter Sís](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-s/) > [“Change the fabric of their culture? It hasn’t happened yet, not in two thousand years. And it won’t happen now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-webb/change-the-fabric-of-their-culture-it-hasn-t-happened-yet-not-in-two/) [James Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-webb/) > [“Revelation Chapter 18 details the many goods which are sold through the Daughter of Babylon’s ports. The lengthy list appears in Revelation 18:11-13. Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/revelation-chapter-18-details-the-many-goods-which-are-sold-through/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The germs of existence contained in this spot of earth, with ample food, and ample room to expand in, would fill millions of worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-germs-of-existence-contained-in-this-spot-of-earth-with-ample/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [To be original is to discover the commonplace of a thousand years--to face at first the sneer that no one would have thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-stanley-lee/to-be-original-is-to-discover-the-commonplace-of-a-thousand-years-to/) [Gerald Stanley Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-stanley-lee/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Browse all 1,602 Thousand years quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From where they are it looks as if the whole world were green.But from higher up,from a hill-if there were a hill in this flat country-or from a pyramid(one of the many that two thousand years ago lined this route from Thebes to Memphis,from the Delta to the Cataract)or from an aeroplane today,you would be able to see how narrow the strip green was,how closely it clung to the winding river.The river like a lifeline thrown across the desert, the villages and the town hanging on to it, clustering together, glancing over their shoulders at the desert always behind them.Appeasing it,finally,by making it the dwelling of their head.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ahdaf Soueif" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of-the-road-from-where-they-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thousand years" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of-the-road-from-where-they-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/ahdaf-soueif-21720_thousand-years_fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of_2096105.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fields and more fields on either side of the road.From where they are it looks as if the whole world were…” — Ahdaf Soueif", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ahdaf Soueif", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Fields and more fields on either...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of-the-road-from-where-they-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/fields-and-more-fields-on-either-side-of-the-road-from-where-they-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```