---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world is divided between those who…"
description: "\"“The world is divided between those who stay and those who leave.”\" — Bharati Mukherjee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png"
---

#  The world is divided between those who stay and those who…

![“The world is divided between those who stay and those who leave.” quote by Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png)

> ““The world is divided between those who stay and those who leave.””

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

## About This Quote

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

People are divided into those who stay and those who leave.

**In simple terms:** World splits between stayers and leavers.

Key Takeaway

Understand both perspectives of belonging and departure.

Themes

migration choice identity

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

social philosophical

When to use this quote

- family decisions
- career moves
- cultural diaspora

Key Concepts

sociology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people choose to stay or leave?
- What factors influence migration?

A Different Perspective

Binary view oversimplifies complex motives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/) [Divided Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided-stay-5089086/) [Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave/) [Leave-home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-home-105245/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-divided/)

## Related quotes

> [“He was a gay man who had to leave home to find himself, not a gay man who had found himself within his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameson-currier/he-was-a-gay-man-who-had-to-leave-home-to-find-himself-not-a-gay-man/)

[Jameson Currier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameson-currier/)

> [“She could just pack up and leave, but she does not visualize what's beyond ahead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-ria-a/she-could-just-pack-up-and-leave-but-she-does-not-visualize-what-s/)

[Núria Añó](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-ria-a/)

> [“I let the front door slam shut behind me and the fly screen rattle. It was as if each door was kicking me out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-let-the-front-door-slam-shut-behind-me-and-the-fly-screen-rattle-it/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [This world is divided roughly into three kinds of nations: those that spend lots of money to keep their weight down; those whose people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-landes/this-world-is-divided-roughly-into-three-kinds-of-nations-those-that/)

[David Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-landes/)

> [I think you can go back in history and look at what the effect in Asia and the world was of a divided, fractured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/i-think-you-can-go-back-in-history-and-look-at-what-the-effect-in/)

[Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/)

> [The world is divided up into two kinds of people - those who look at their body waste in the toilet bowl, and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-world-is-divided-up-into-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-look-at/)

[John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/)

> [The world is not divided into the strong who care and the weak who are cared for. We must each in turn care and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-cassidy/the-world-is-not-divided-into-the-strong-who-care-and-the-weak-who/)

[Sheila Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-cassidy/)

> [The world is divided into two classes - invalids and nurses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/the-world-is-divided-into-two-classes-invalids-and-nurses/)

[James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/)

> [The World Has Divided into Rich and Poor as at No Time in History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-barlow/the-world-has-divided-into-rich-and-poor-as-at-no-time-in-history/)

[Maude Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-barlow/)

> [“The world had been divided into … parts that sought to annihilate each other because they both desired the same thing, namely the liberation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-world-had-been-divided-into-parts-that-sought-to-annihilate-each/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicenna/the-world-is-divided-into-men-who-have-wit-and-no-religion-and-men/)

[Avicenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicenna/)

> [“They said the world was divided into those folks who ran away from danger, and those who ran toward it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/they-said-the-world-was-divided-into-those-folks-who-ran-away-from/)

[Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/)

> [Watching Jamila sometimes made me think the world was divided into three sorts of people: those who knew what they wanted to do; those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/watching-jamila-sometimes-made-me-think-the-world-was-divided-into/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [“The world seemed divided into girls with boyfriends and girls without them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/the-world-seemed-divided-into-girls-with-boyfriends-and-girls-without/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“The world has never been as divided as it is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-never-been-as-divided-as-it-is-now/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## More by Bharati Mukherjee

> [You see for me, America is an idea. It is a stage for transformation. I felt when I came to Iowa City from Calcutta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/you-see-for-me-america-is-an-idea-it-is-a-stage-for-transformation-i/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [The picture of Mother Teresa that I remember from my childhood is of a short, sari-wearing woman scurrying down a red gravel path between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-picture-of-mother-teresa-that-i-remember-from-my-childhood-is-of/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [“It's making life important, making a single life important, rather than having a prescription for the global ills which afflict us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/it-s-making-life-important-making-a-single-life-important-rather-than/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [I truly appreciate the special qualities that America and American national myths offer me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/i-truly-appreciate-the-special-qualities-that-america-and-american/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [I flew into a small airport surrounded by cornfields and pastures, ready to carry out the two commands my father had written out for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/i-flew-into-a-small-airport-surrounded-by-cornfields-and-pastures/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [In Hindu societies, especially overprotected patriarchal families like mine, daughters are not at all desirable. They are trouble. And a mother who, as mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/in-hindu-societies-especially-overprotected-patriarchal-families-like/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [One of the early tip-offs to me about the enormous changes that were going on with being in a Bangalore house, home, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/one-of-the-early-tip-offs-to-me-about-the-enormous-changes-that-were/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [I am aware of myself as a four-hundred-year-old woman, born in the captivity of a colonial, pre-industrial oral culture and living now as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/i-am-aware-of-myself-as-a-four-hundred-year-old-woman-born-in-the/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [Mother Teresa's detractors have accused her of overemphasizing Calcuttans' destitution and of coercing conversion from the defenseless. In the context of lost causes, Mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/mother-teresa-s-detractors-have-accused-her-of-overemphasizing/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [Dullness is a kind of luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/dullness-is-a-kind-of-luxury/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [I had never walked on the street alone when I was growing up in Calcutta, up to age 20. I had never handled money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/i-had-never-walked-on-the-street-alone-when-i-was-growing-up-in/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [ “Love on the decline is hard to tell from love on the rise.” \[From 'The Lady from Lucknow'\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/love-on-the-decline-is-hard-to-tell-from-love-on-the-rise-from-the/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [The United States exists as a sovereign nation. 'America,' in contrast, exists as a myth of democracy and equal opportunity to live by, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-united-states-exists-as-a-sovereign-nation-america-in-contrast/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [As a bookish child in Calcutta, I used to thrill to the adventures of bad girls whose pursuit of happiness swept them outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/as-a-bookish-child-in-calcutta-i-used-to-thrill-to-the-adventures-of/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

> [What was the duty of the teacher if not to inspire?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/what-was-the-duty-of-the-teacher-if-not-to-inspire/)

[Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

[Explore all 45 Bharati Mukherjee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/)

## More Divided quotes

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [We have a war on women, race wars. Income wars, age wars, religious wars, anything you can imagine. A house divided against itself cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/we-have-a-war-on-women-race-wars-income-wars-age-wars-religious-wars/)

[Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/)

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Men can be divided into 2 groups: one that goes ahead and achieves something, and one that comes after and criticizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-can-be-divided-into-2-groups-one-that-goes-ahead-and-achieves/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [In every European nation, there have been problems in history when the society was too divided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harri-holkeri/in-every-european-nation-there-have-been-problems-in-history-when-the/)

[Harri Holkeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harri-holkeri/)

> [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [The Oslo Accords in 1993 determined that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are a single territorial entity which cannot be divided. Immediately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-oslo-accords-in-1993-determined-that-the-gaza-strip-and-the-west/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/)

[Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [Many a professing Christian is a stumbling-block because his worship is divided. On Sunday he worships God; on weekdays God has little or no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/many-a-professing-christian-is-a-stumbling-block-because-his-worship/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/)

[Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/)

> [“The world has never been as divided as it is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-never-been-as-divided-as-it-is-now/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I never yet have known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord's people were divided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/i-never-yet-have-known-the-spirit-of-god-to-work-where-the-lord-s/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

[Browse all 1,017 Divided quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The world is divided between those who stay and those who leave.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bharati Mukherjee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-stay-and-those-who-leave/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Divided"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-stay-and-those-who-leave/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/bharati-mukherjee-14775_divided_the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-s_3053484.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The world is divided between those who stay and those who leave.” — Bharati Mukherjee",
                "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": "Bharati Mukherjee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The world is divided between those...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-stay-and-those-who-leave/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/the-world-is-divided-between-those-who-stay-and-those-who-leave/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
