--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is very difficult to imagine that you…" description: "\"It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get rid of a dictatorship that has been there for 60 years only in 18 days.\" — Bassem Youssef" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg" --- # It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get… ![“It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get rid of a dictatorship that has been there for 60 years only in 18 days.” quote by Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg) > “It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get rid of a dictatorship that has been there for 60 years only in 18 days.” [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rapid political change is unlikely after decades of authoritarian rule, highlighting the difficulty of dismantling entrenched systems. **In simple terms:** Long‑standing dictatorships don’t fall quickly. Key Takeaway Expect gradual change. Themes politics change history Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - policy reform - social movements - international pressure Key Concepts authoritarianism revolution Questions to Reflect On - Can lasting reform be achieved quickly? - What factors enable swift political change? A Different Perspective Sudden shifts may cause instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [18 Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/18-days-2470275/) [Dictatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) [Dictatorship 60](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship-60-5794256/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-imagine-585824/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Rid Dictatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rid-dictatorship-5794255/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [When you're making a movie in 18 days you have to be able to make decisions and have a streamlined reporting structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-krantz/when-you-re-making-a-movie-in-18-days-you-have-to-be-able-to-make/) [Tony Krantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-krantz/) > [“I still remember, all the nights that the world just passed us by. Its been 6 long years 18 days 24/7 trying to ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-moccia/i-still-remember-all-the-nights-that-the-world-just-passed-us-by-its/) [Nick Moccia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-moccia/) > [A lot of first-time filmmakers are almost apologizing for their movie by saying, 'Well, we only had 18 days to shoot, you know.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waters/a-lot-of-first-time-filmmakers-are-almost-apologizing-for-their-movie/) [Mark Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waters/) > [I watched every episode of 'Breaking Bad' in, I think, 18 days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-watched-every-episode-of-breaking-bad-in-i-think-18-days/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) > [When I was young, it was difficult to imagine entering a world where my parents succeeded so much and I could have risked failing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/when-i-was-young-it-was-difficult-to-imagine-entering-a-world-where/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Even in my own life, there are memories I have that are difficult to explain - happenings that are so odd and unaccountably weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/even-in-my-own-life-there-are-memories-i-have-that-are-difficult-to/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“Historians will likely wonder how we could describe the new caste system as a system of crime control, when it is difficult to imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/historians-will-likely-wonder-how-we-could-describe-the-new-caste/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [It's difficult to imagine the power that you're going to have when so many different sorts of data are available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/it-s-difficult-to-imagine-the-power-that-you-re-going-to-have-when-so/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [and there's something about having an especially different name that makes it difficult to imagine what you would be like as a Jennifer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/and-there-s-something-about-having-an-especially-different-name-that/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I've done my fair share of fundraising over the years, and I know how difficult that can be, so I could only imagine people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-shenton/i-ve-done-my-fair-share-of-fundraising-over-the-years-and-i-know-how/) [Rachel Shenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-shenton/) > [ \[I\]t is difficult to imagine a set of beliefs more suggestive of mental illness than those that lie at the heart of many of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/i-t-is-difficult-to-imagine-a-set-of-beliefs-more-suggestive-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I find it difficult to imagine an afterlife, such as Christians, or at any rate many religious people, conceive it, believing that the conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-find-it-difficult-to-imagine-an-afterlife-such-as-christians-or-at/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I'm very comfortable with the nature of life and death, and that we come to an end. What's most difficult to imagine is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-m-very-comfortable-with-the-nature-of-life-and-death-and-that-we/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [It is difficult to imagine how any behavior in the presence of another person can avoid being a communication of one's own view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/it-is-difficult-to-imagine-how-any-behavior-in-the-presence-of/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [In the state of society in which we now find ourselves, it is difficult to imagine a nation which lived solely on bread and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/in-the-state-of-society-in-which-we-now-find-ourselves-it-is/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) ## More by Bassem Youssef > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [It doesn't matter if the truth is right there out in front of your eyes. You will find a way, a mechanism, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/it-doesn-t-matter-if-the-truth-is-right-there-out-in-front-of-your/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [Donald Trump is not stupid. He knows exactly what he's saying. And he's just saying out there - I mean, forget about Muslims. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/donald-trump-is-not-stupid-he-knows-exactly-what-he-s-saying-and-he-s/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [Satire has its limits. It is really up to the people to make the change. The satirist's role ends at the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/satire-has-its-limits-it-is-really-up-to-the-people-to-make-the/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [There are people who believe in Egypt that I - I'm actually - I'm getting paid by external powers and external intelligence entities in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/there-are-people-who-believe-in-egypt-that-i-i-m-actually-i-m-getting/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [I was accused of insulting the president, insulting Islam, insulting - spreading rumors, disturbing the peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/i-was-accused-of-insulting-the-president-insulting-islam-insulting/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [Everybody grows up with comedy. I mean, Egyptian comedy has a very, very old tradition. Our theater and our movies are just, like, amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/everybody-grows-up-with-comedy-i-mean-egyptian-comedy-has-a-very-very/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [People would believe propagate, spread rumors or conspiracy theories in order to protect their own system of denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-would-believe-propagate-spread-rumors-or-conspiracy-theories/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [People say, 'Are you afraid? Are you scared for your life?' and I tell them: If I choose today to tone it down, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-say-are-you-afraid-are-you-scared-for-your-life-and-i-tell/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“With Sissi, he was not the elephant in the room, he was the elephant and the room. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/with-sissi-he-was-not-the-elephant-in-the-room-he-was-the-elephant/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“In the two years since I left Egypt, things haven’t gotten better. Thousands of people have been incarcerated for the most trivial reasons. Hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/in-the-two-years-since-i-left-egypt-things-haven-t-gotten-better/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [What I saw day-to-day is like people who are actually asking for freedom, calling for freedom - protesting, singing, chanting, calling for the removal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/what-i-saw-day-to-day-is-like-people-who-are-actually-asking-for/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [I think by the time I left Egypt, there was about like 400 accusations against me in the drawer of the public persecutor office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/i-think-by-the-time-i-left-egypt-there-was-about-like-400-accusations/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [I think that the religious and the military right wings are just two sides of the same coin if somebody uses God and religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/i-think-that-the-religious-and-the-military-right-wings-are-just-two/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) [Explore all 27 Bassem Youssef quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) ## More Dictatorship quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The situation with Tibet has to change. China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces. That has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yauch/the-situation-with-tibet-has-to-change-china-is-one-of-the-last-huge/) [Adam Yauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-yauch/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“. Despite the considerable horror they had felt when the SA men were bellowing crude anti-Semitic slogans, in retrospect the joke-tellers were very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-herzog/despite-the-considerable-horror-they-had-felt-when-the-sa-men-were/) [Rudolph Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-herzog/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [The dictatorship of the proletariat and the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist party are indispensable conditions for the triumph of the Socialist revolution and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-and-the-leadership-of-the-marxist/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [I never thought about becoming a politician. But during the military dictatorship, my grandfather was put in prison six times and my father twice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/i-never-thought-about-becoming-a-politician-but-during-the-military/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [ “\[...\] dictatorship, the most extreme form of tyranny, can never lead to social liberation.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/dictatorship-the-most-extreme-form-of-tyranny-can-never-lead-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [In many ways, the media today makes dictatorship impossible. But it also makes democracy intolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/in-many-ways-the-media-today-makes-dictatorship-impossible-but-it/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“Your law always does more harm than crime, and your morality is a form of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/your-law-always-does-more-harm-than-crime-and-your-morality-is-a-form/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Browse all 793 Dictatorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get rid of a dictatorship that has been there for 60 years only in 18 days.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bassem Youssef" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you-can-actually-get-rid-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dictatorship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you-can-actually-get-rid-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/bassem-youssef-22282_dictatorship_it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you_3174931.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is very difficult to imagine that you can actually get rid of a dictatorship that has been there for 60…” — Bassem Youssef", "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": "Bassem Youssef", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is very difficult to imagine...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you-can-actually-get-rid-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/it-is-very-difficult-to-imagine-that-you-can-actually-get-rid-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```