--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is quite common to hear high officials…" description: "\"It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg" --- # It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington… ![“It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in a jar.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg) > “It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in a jar.” [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. Politicians treat complex regions like simple objects, ignoring deep histories and peoples, which oversimplifies and destabilizes. **In simple terms:** Politicians oversimplify the Middle East, treating it like peanuts. Key Takeaway Respect complexity in foreign policy. Themes politics oversimplification culture Mood critical analytical Type political educational When to use this quote - policy making - diplomacy - public discourse Key Concepts geopolitics historical context Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of reducing cultures to stereotypes? - How can policymakers honor regional complexities? A Different Perspective Simplification can lead to misguided decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) ## Related quotes > [Everyone knows I drink a lot of Diet Coke, so...I drink chocolate milk after races as my recovery drink, and you won't ever find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/everyone-knows-i-drink-a-lot-of-diet-coke-so-i-drink-chocolate-milk/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [I got out my jar of ointment. I knew animators who had special containers for the ointment. Crockery, hand-blown glass, mystical symbols carved into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-got-out-my-jar-of-ointment-i-knew-animators-who-had-special/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I have no idea why a guy would bring a jar of peanut butter to a concert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-have-no-idea-why-a-guy-would-bring-a-jar-of-peanut-butter-to-a/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [You know that when Irving puts the dog in the car, it is no longer in the yard. When Edna goes to church, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/you-know-that-when-irving-puts-the-dog-in-the-car-it-is-no-longer-in/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you're in that state of grief, any little breeze, any hello, any confrontation, any grazing of someone meeting your eyes, might cause you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/when-you-re-in-that-state-of-grief-any-little-breeze-any-hello-any/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I saw something in the store the other day that I don't understand: that peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. Is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/i-saw-something-in-the-store-the-other-day-that-i-don-t-understand/) [Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/) > [I often eat Skippys Super Chunk peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon. I dont shamefully sneak it in the dark of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-geist/i-often-eat-skippys-super-chunk-peanut-butter-out-of-the-jar-with-a/) [Willie Geist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-geist/) > [The first sip of beer on a hot day is like that first finger-dip when you open a new jar of peanut butter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-first-sip-of-beer-on-a-hot-day-is-like-that-first-finger-dip-when/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [When carrying a jar of honey to give to a friend for his birthday, don't stop and eat it along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-carrying-a-jar-of-honey-to-give-to-a-friend-for-his-birthday-don/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...ma gia volgena il mio disio e'l velle si come rota ch'igualmente e mossa, l'amor che move: i sole e l'altre stelle ...as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ma-gia-volgena-il-mio-disio-e-l-velle-si-come-rota-ch-igualmente-e/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We now know that memories are not fixed or frozen, like Proust’s jars of preserves in a larder, but are transformed, disassembled, reassembled, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-now-know-that-memories-are-not-fixed-or-frozen-like-proust-s-jars-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One night, in his cups, he drank a jar of wildfire, after telling his friends it would transform him into a dragon, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-night-in-his-cups-he-drank-a-jar-of-wildfire-after-telling-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Awakened at midnight by the sound of the water jar cracking from the ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/awakened-at-midnight-by-the-sound-of-the-water-jar-cracking-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love and happiness remind me of sticky peanut butter. When you spread them around, you can't help but end up getting some on yourself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-and-happiness-remind-me-of-sticky-peanut-butter-when-you-spread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I got to thinking about relationships and partial lobotomies. Two seemingly different ideas that might just be perfect together - like chocolate and peanut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-got-to-thinking-about-relationships-and-partial-lobotomies-two/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“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/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the Middle East, as if ancient societies and myriad peoples can be shaken up like so many peanuts in a jar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-officials-in-washington-and-elsewhere/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-officials-in-washington-and-elsewhere/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/anonymous-1_ancient_it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-official_2222152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is quite common to hear high officials in Washington and elsewhere speak of changing the map of the…” — 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": "It is quite common to hear...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-officials-in-washington-and-elsewhere/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-quite-common-to-hear-high-officials-in-washington-and-elsewhere/#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 } } ] } ```