--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thousands of years of ideological…" description: "\"Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/arundhati-roy-346_altered_thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philos_68967.png" --- # Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and… ![“Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For every one of those decisions, maybe there's another decision that could have been made, should have been made.” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/arundhati-roy-346_altered_thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philos_68967.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/arundhati-roy-346_altered_thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philos_68967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/arundhati-roy-346_altered_thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philos_68967.png) > “Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For every one of those decisions, maybe there's another decision that could have been made, should have been made.” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human history is shaped by countless choices that reshape both the planet and our inner selves, leaving alternate possibilities forever unchosen. **In simple terms:** Choices sculpt world and self. Key Takeaway Every decision leaves unseen alternatives. Themes history philosophy environment agency alternatives Mood contemplative melancholic inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - urban planning - policy formulation - personal life choices - environmental activism - cultural shifts Key Concepts decision-making impact counterfactuals human condition Practical Applications - strategic foresight - ethical reflection Questions to Reflect On - What decisions have most altered our collective psyche? - How do we honor the paths not taken? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [A fascinating challenge facing today's environmental movement is how to best approach the reversal of past decisions that altered once-pristine environmental spaces for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/a-fascinating-challenge-facing-today-s-environmental-movement-is-how/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [Well, maybe it's my decision. 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I loved reading that listening to music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/a-dissection-of-music-perception-and-creation-that-starts-slowly-and/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [The introduction of numbers as coordinates by reference to the particular division scheme of the open one-dimensional continuum is an act of violence whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-by-reference-to-the/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [The US has developed two coordinate governing classes: the one, called 'business,' building cities, manufacturing and distributing goods, and holding complete and autocratic power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-arnold/the-us-has-developed-two-coordinate-governing-classes-the-one-called/) [Thurman Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-arnold/) > [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [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/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. 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It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. 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Experience coupled with attention leads to physical changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-merzenich/the-patterns-of-activity-of-neurons-in-sensory-areas-can-be-altered/) [Michael Merzenich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-merzenich/) > [ \[New York\] is a city largely based on great skyscrapers, and they will always be the essence of New York. That won't change, just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/new-york-is-a-city-largely-based-on-great-skyscrapers-and-they-will/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. 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