---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can the mind take hold of such a…"
description: "\"How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations of invaders have tried, but they remain in exile. The important towns they build are only ret..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg"
---

#  How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations…

![“How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations of invaders have tried, but they remain in exile. The important towns they build are only retreats, their quarrels the malaise of men who cannot find their way home. India knows of their trouble. She knows of the whole world's trouble, to…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg)

> “How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations of invaders have tried, but they remain in exile. The important towns they build are only retreats, their quarrels the malaise of men who cannot find their way home. India knows of their trouble. She knows of the whole world's trouble, to its uttermost depth. She calls "Come" through her hundred mouths, through objects ridiculous and august. But come to what? She has never defined. She is not a promise, only an appeal.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage reflects on a nation's enduring struggle, its history of invasions, and the ambiguous, unfulfilled promises that define its identity.

**In simple terms:** India is portrayed as a land of unresolved promises and deep challenges.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and question vague appeals.

Themes

history identity conflict promise search

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- personal reflection
- academic analysis

Key Concepts

nationalism existentialism cultural memory

Questions to Reflect On

- What does "Come" symbolize for you?
- How do vague promises affect collective identity?

A Different Perspective

The metaphorical language may obscure concrete meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Malaise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malaise/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We should certainly know by now that it is one thing to overthrow a dictator or repel an invader and quite another thing really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-should-certainly-know-by-now-that-it-is-one-thing-to-overthrow-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [World is in trouble. Anytime Buju Banton come. Batty bwoy get up an run. At gunshot me head back. Hear I tell him now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buju-banton/world-is-in-trouble-anytime-buju-banton-come-batty-bwoy-get-up-an-run/)

[Buju Banton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buju-banton/)

> [...The world wouldn't be the world, without trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-world-wouldn-t-be-the-world-without-trouble/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [“The trouble with the world and the trouble with you and me is that we don't love each other enough. And if we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-pay-hinckley/the-trouble-with-the-world-and-the-trouble-with-you-and-me-is-that-we/)

[Marjorie Pay Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-pay-hinckley/)

> [In the world you will have trouble but take courage for I have conquered the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/in-the-world-you-will-have-trouble-but-take-courage-for-i-have/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Any woman who has a great deal to offer the world is in trouble. And if she's a black woman, seh's in deep trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-scott/any-woman-who-has-a-great-deal-to-offer-the-world-is-in-trouble-and/)

[Hazel Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-scott/)

> [What a miserable world!--trouble if we love, and trouble if we do not love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/what-a-miserable-world-trouble-if-we-love-and-trouble-if-we-do-not/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [“Now the world's full of trouble everybody's scared The landlords are frowning cupboards are bare People are scrambling like dogs for a share It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-waterboys/now-the-world-s-full-of-trouble-everybody-s-scared-the-landlords-are/)

The Waterboys

> [America is a beacon of hope for the world. And yet we are in so much trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cameron/america-is-a-beacon-of-hope-for-the-world-and-yet-we-are-in-so-much/)

[Kirk Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cameron/)

> [I would rather live with the woman I love in a world full of trouble, than to live in heaven with nobody but men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-would-rather-live-with-the-woman-i-love-in-a-world-full-of-trouble/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [We are living at the moment in revolutionary times. Argentineans probably are more aware of it than anybody else, because they tasted it several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/we-are-living-at-the-moment-in-revolutionary-times-argentineans/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [If there's no meaning in it," said the King, "that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/if-there-s-no-meaning-in-it-said-the-king-that-saves-a-world-of/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“The world’s too full of trouble to adopt those that don’t belong to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-khaw/the-world-s-too-full-of-trouble-to-adopt-those-that-don-t-belong-to/)

Cassandra Khaw

> [If there was less sympathy in the world, there would be less trouble in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-there-was-less-sympathy-in-the-world-there-would-be-less-trouble/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Appeals quotes

> [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/)

[Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/)

> [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/)

[Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/)

> [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [It's an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/it-s-an-appeal-as-old-as-america-and-its-presidency-this-is-an/)

[Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/)

> [I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-carpenter/i-liked-wrestling-a-lot-better-than-boxing-i-remember-thinking-at/)

[Scott Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-carpenter/)

> [As a social and as a personal force, religion has become a dependent variable. It does not originate; it reacts. It does not denounce;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/as-a-social-and-as-a-personal-force-religion-has-become-a-dependent/)

[C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/)

> [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/)

[Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/)

> [I sometimes find that my family's emphasis on stories, characters, and art that appeals directly to children rather than over their heads to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-sometimes-find-that-my-family-s-emphasis-on-stories-characters-and/)

[Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/)

> [Vice is its own reward. It is virtue which, if it is to be marketed with consumer appeal, must carry Green Shield stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/vice-is-its-own-reward-it-is-virtue-which-if-it-is-to-be-marketed/)

[Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/)

> [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/)

[Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/)

> [The fact is that there is a profound spiritual hunger in the western world which, for a variety of reasons, its church is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-phillips/the-fact-is-that-there-is-a-profound-spiritual-hunger-in-the-western/)

[Melanie Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-phillips/)

> [People can talk about punk all they want, but after new wave put that down, metal is the voice of the disenfranchised and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/people-can-talk-about-punk-all-they-want-but-after-new-wave-put-that/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [Appeal to all scholars of stupidity in the world. Come to Italy, this country has the highest rate of morons of the universe, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/appeal-to-all-scholars-of-stupidity-in-the-world-come-to-italy-this/)

[William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/)

> [Popular thought appeals to crowds, gatherings and tribes, who use it as a way to guide the herd. It is very evident in protests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/popular-thought-appeals-to-crowds-gatherings-and-tribes-who-use-it-as/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 1,420 Appeals quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations of invaders have tried, but they remain in exile. The important towns they build are only retreats, their quarrels the malaise of men who cannot find their way home. India knows of their trouble. She knows of the whole world's trouble, to its uttermost depth. She calls \"Come\" through her hundred mouths, through objects ridiculous and august. But come to what? She has never defined. She is not a promise, only an appeal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-country-generations-of-invaders/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appeals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-country-generations-of-invaders/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/anonymous-1_appeals_how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-cou_378344.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How can the mind take hold of such a country? Generations of invaders have tried, but they remain in exile…” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How can the mind take hold...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-country-generations-of-invaders/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-the-mind-take-hold-of-such-a-country-generations-of-invaders/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
