--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's what the Taliban does in…" description: "\"It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets done in the Middle East, and it's clearly something that certain mainly conservative groups i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png" --- # It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets… ![“It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets done in the Middle East, and it's clearly something that certain mainly conservative groups in the United States would like to do. They miss the good old days, when men were men and women were nothing.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png) > “It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets done in the Middle East, and it's clearly something that certain mainly conservative groups in the United States would like to do. They miss the good old days, when men were men and women were nothing.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques conservative nostalgia that idealizes traditional gender roles and supports extremist actions abroad. **In simple terms:** Conservatives romanticize past gender norms and endorse harsh policies. Key Takeaway Question such nostalgic narratives and their real-world impact. Themes gender politics conservatism extremism nostalgia power dynamics Mood critical analytical concerned Type political social commentary opinion When to use this quote - Political debates - media analysis - policy discussions - social media commentary Key Concepts Patriarchy cultural backlash political rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How do nostalgic gender ideals influence current policies? - What are the consequences of endorsing extremist actions? A Different Perspective The view may oversimplify complex geopolitical and cultural factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Good old days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-old-days/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Old days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-days/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [“Raging crime, class warfare, invasive immigrants, light morals, public misbehavior. Always we convince ourselves that the parade of unwelcome and despised is a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/raging-crime-class-warfare-invasive-immigrants-light-morals-public/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“to a surprising conclusion about this moment in our lives. No, it’s not that there are weird freckly spots on the back of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/to-a-surprising-conclusion-about-this-moment-in-our-lives-no-it-s-not/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Historically speaking, religious and conservative groups always wanted the control over the private sphere that impacts women most, as reflected by family law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/historically-speaking-religious-and-conservative-groups-always-wanted/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [Some conservative groups believe that a person cannot be both conservative and gay. They believe that traditional lives cannot be led by those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/some-conservative-groups-believe-that-a-person-cannot-be-both/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [Putin has been - and with a lot of the groups, the conservative groups, the more extreme conservative groups that underlie Trump, he's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/putin-has-been-and-with-a-lot-of-the-groups-the-conservative-groups/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [“His administration has sicced the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies on his political opponents—frustrating the capacity of conservative groups to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mccarthy/his-administration-has-sicced-the-internal-revenue-service-and-other/) [Andrew McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mccarthy/) > [In different countries the basis of resistance takes different forms, but it comes chiefly from the conservative groups. Hence it becomes increasingly difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/in-different-countries-the-basis-of-resistance-takes-different-forms/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [Remember the good old days when the only bomb you had to worry about on a plane was the Rob Schneider movie?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/remember-the-good-old-days-when-the-only-bomb-you-had-to-worry-about/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I wish they'd had electric guitars in cotton fields back in the good old days. A whole lot of things would've been straightened out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/i-wish-they-d-had-electric-guitars-in-cotton-fields-back-in-the-good/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [Good old days when there were more relationships and less relationship statuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny/good-old-days-when-there-were-more-relationships-and-less/) [Lenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny/) > [In the good old days physicists repeated each other's experiments, just to be sure. Today they stick to FORTRAN, so that they can share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/in-the-good-old-days-physicists-repeated-each-other-s-experiments/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Sooner or later the world will have to return to the good old days when we fought wars and killed people the old-fashioned way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/sooner-or-later-the-world-will-have-to-return-to-the-good-old-days/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Forget about what you used to do. Don't make those same mistakes again. Everybody says, "Oh the good old days" - the good old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/forget-about-what-you-used-to-do-don-t-make-those-same-mistakes-again/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the supreme court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/a-year-ago-my-approval-rating-was-in-the-30s-my-nominee-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that David Copperfield raped, assaulted and threatened a woman he took to his private island in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/a-federal-grand-jury-is-investigating-allegations-that-david/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets done in the Middle East, and it's clearly something that certain mainly conservative groups in the United States would like to do. They miss the good old days, when men were men and women were nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anna Quindlen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanistan-it-s-what-gets-done-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afghanistan" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanistan-it-s-what-gets-done-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/anna-quindlen-467_afghanistan_it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanista_2217642.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's what the Taliban does in Afghanistan, it's what gets done in the Middle East, and it's clearly…” — Anna Quindlen", "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": "Anna Quindlen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's what the Taliban does in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanistan-it-s-what-gets-done-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-what-the-taliban-does-in-afghanistan-it-s-what-gets-done-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```