--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At a time when there are more refugees…" description: "\"“At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich world has turned its back on them. Our myths and religions are steeped in the lore of exile..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/ben-rawlence-29678_immigration_at-a-time-when-there-are-more-refugees-t_1511133.jpg" --- # At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich… ![“At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich world has turned its back on them. Our myths and religions are steeped in the lore of exile and yet we fail to treat the living examples of that condition as fully human.” quote by Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/ben-rawlence-29678_immigration_at-a-time-when-there-are-more-refugees-t_1511133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/ben-rawlence-29678_immigration_at-a-time-when-there-are-more-refugees-t_1511133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/ben-rawlence-29678_immigration_at-a-time-when-there-are-more-refugees-t_1511133.jpg) > ““At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich world has turned its back on them. Our myths and religions are steeped in the lore of exile and yet we fail to treat the living examples of that condition as fully human.”” [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The world ignores the growing refugee crisis despite cultural narratives that glorify exile, denying refugees full humanity. **In simple terms:** Society neglects refugees despite historic empathy. Key Takeaway Recognize and act on refugee rights. Themes human rights refugees global inequality myths compassion Mood concerned determined Type activist analytical When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community support - education campaigns Key Concepts ethical responsibility political will social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can societies reconcile myth with reality? - What concrete steps can you take? A Different Perspective Political inertia and nationalism limit action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Refugees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We live in an era where masses of people come and go across a hostile planet, desolate and violent. Refugees, emigrants, exiles, deportees. 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No one really knows the population of Somalia but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/after-so-much-death-it-was-a-wonder-anyone-remained-in-the-country-at/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Back in 1992, the camp originally held ninety thousand Somali refugees fleeing the civil war. They had reproduced. Then others had come: more waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/back-in-1992-the-camp-originally-held-ninety-thousand-somali-refugees/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Raised on the meagre rations of the United Nations for their whole lives, schooled by NGOs and submitted to workshops on democracy, gender mainstreaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/raised-on-the-meagre-rations-of-the-united-nations-for-their-whole/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [Most of the Jewish refugees, stripped of their considerable possessions, came to Israel. They were welcomed by the Jewish state. They were given shelter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-shamir/most-of-the-jewish-refugees-stripped-of-their-considerable/) [Yitzhak Shamir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-shamir/) > [Refugees are threatening, not just to Americans, but also in many countries the world over. And it's partially because, unlike immigrants, refugees do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-viet-thang/refugees-are-threatening-not-just-to-americans-but-also-in-many/) [Nguyen Viet Thang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-viet-thang/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Almost every continent in the world, including our own, has refugees. But how often when we hear the word do we pause to remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/almost-every-continent-in-the-world-including-our-own-has-refugees/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [I have been a long-time advocate for a just Arab-Israeli peace and for Palestinian refugees. Today, as you are aware, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-noor-of-jordan/i-have-been-a-long-time-advocate-for-a-just-arab-israeli-peace-and/) [Queen Noor of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-noor-of-jordan/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“The next morning, the refugees rose from their agitation to the realization that they were slowly being erased from the world, from its history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-morning-the-refugees-rose-from-their-agitation-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) ## More by Ben Rawlence > [“I tried to explain to the NSC officials my own wonder at this teeming ramshackle metropolis with cinemas, football leagues, hotels and hospitals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-tried-to-explain-to-the-nsc-officials-my-own-wonder-at-this-teeming/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many governments anxious about asylum seekers, Kenya didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-guled-learned-that-employment/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“In Ifo he felt only hostility. The inhabitants eyed him nervously. Guled had come from a place of fighting and fear; as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/in-ifo-he-felt-only-hostility-the-inhabitants-eyed-him-nervously/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Al-Shabaab seemed right about many things. 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And through our tax contributions to the UN, we all pay billions of dollars to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/millions-more-the-vast-majority-remain-in-camps-and-through-our-tax/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“I thought of the former child soldier Guled and the many like him, who had fled to the camp to escape the extremists, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-thought-of-the-former-child-soldier-guled-and-the-many-like-him-who/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“But Ethiopia and America were nervous of an Islamic government and the US and other nations sponsored Ethiopia to invade Somalia and dispatch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/but-ethiopia-and-america-were-nervous-of-an-islamic-government-and/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Poverty does not necessarily lead to extremism,’ I said. In my head, images of the proud Imams defending their traditions against the murderous corruptions;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/poverty-does-not-necessarily-lead-to-extremism-i-said-in-my-head/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Raised on the meagre rations of the United Nations for their whole lives, schooled by NGOs and submitted to workshops on democracy, gender mainstreaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/raised-on-the-meagre-rations-of-the-united-nations-for-their-whole/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“The place where Guled had come seeking sanctuary was, according to Oxfam, a ‘public health emergency’, and had been for several years. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/the-place-where-guled-had-come-seeking-sanctuary-was-according-to/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“Back in 1992, the camp originally held ninety thousand Somali refugees fleeing the civil war. They had reproduced. Then others had come: more waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/back-in-1992-the-camp-originally-held-ninety-thousand-somali-refugees/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“After so much death, it was a wonder anyone remained in the country at all. No one really knows the population of Somalia but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/after-so-much-death-it-was-a-wonder-anyone-remained-in-the-country-at/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“beauty contest, the porters jostled for business. Those with big families could not carry all their rations, so they traded some of their food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/beauty-contest-the-porters-jostled-for-business-those-with-big/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) > [“I thought of Nisho, the young man who works as a porter in the market, his face clouding into a scowl as he stormed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-thought-of-nisho-the-young-man-who-works-as-a-porter-in-the-market/) [Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) [Explore all 18 Ben Rawlence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/) ## More Exile quotes > [Were you indeed not blinded by the Curse Of Self-exile, that still grows worse and worse, Yourselves would know that, though you see him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farid-al-din-attar/were-you-indeed-not-blinded-by-the-curse-of-self-exile-that-still/) [Farid al-Din Attar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farid-al-din-attar/) > [What can my enemies do to me? My paradise is in my heart, it is with me wherever I go. To imprison me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-taymiyyah/what-can-my-enemies-do-to-me-my-paradise-is-in-my-heart-it-is-with-me/) [Ibn Taymiyyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-taymiyyah/) > [To live is to hurt others, and through others, to hurt oneself. Cruel earth! How can we manage not to touch anything? To find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/to-live-is-to-hurt-others-and-through-others-to-hurt-oneself-cruel/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I had severed relations with the Romanian exiles who had become politically conservative and even extremely right wing; I was giving chess lessons to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dumitru-tepeneag/i-had-severed-relations-with-the-romanian-exiles-who-had-become/) [Dumitru Tepeneag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dumitru-tepeneag/) > [They came to know the incorrigible sorrow of all prisoners and exiles, which is to live in company with a memory that serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/they-came-to-know-the-incorrigible-sorrow-of-all-prisoners-and-exiles/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Independence didn't have to be exile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-alvarez/independence-didn-t-have-to-be-exile/) [Julia Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-alvarez/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [“The growth of his power and fame was matched, in my imagination, by the degree of the punishment I would have liked to inflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabokov-i-tyrants-destroyed-i/the-growth-of-his-power-and-fame-was-matched-in-my-imagination-by-the/) Nabokov i Tyrants Destroyed i > [I turned what was a wonderful case of self-reliance into a case of self-exile. Which is not uncommon, I think, in people who grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-turned-what-was-a-wonderful-case-of-self-reliance-into-a-case-of/) [Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/) > [Humor is widely used by Indians to deal with life. 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In New York City, everyone is an exile, none more so than the Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/in-new-york-city-everyone-is-an-exile-none-more-so-than-the-americans/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [I have always seen the Clinton Foundation - yes, they do a lot of charitable good works. But by my lights, the charitable good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-have-always-seen-the-clinton-foundation-yes-they-do-a-lot-of/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [We live in an era where masses of people come and go across a hostile planet, desolate and violent. Refugees, emigrants, exiles, deportees. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/we-live-in-an-era-where-masses-of-people-come-and-go-across-a-hostile/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) [Browse all 512 Exile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich world has turned its back on them. 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