--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Countries are like fruit-the worms are…" description: "\"Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside.\" — Jean Giraudoux" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg" --- # Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside. ![“Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside.” quote by Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg) > “Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside.” [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nations appear appealing but are corrupted by internal decay. **In simple terms:** Countries seem good but hide problems. Key Takeaway Address internal issues before external expansion. Themes politics corruption illusion Mood cautious analytical Type literary political When to use this quote - government reform - civil society vigilance - media scrutiny Key Concepts national decay hidden flaws Questions to Reflect On - What hidden problems exist in your country? - How can citizens expose internal decay? A Different Perspective Surface appeal can mask deep flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Countries Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries-like-323582/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Fruit Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit-worms-3402774/) [Like Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-fruit-437926/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/) [Worms Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms-inside-1236233/) ## Related quotes > [He smiles a lot. But I think there might be worms inside him making him smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-smiles-a-lot-but-i-think-there-might-be-worms-inside-him-making/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“No matter how ugly a fruit is, worms will seek it out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/no-matter-how-ugly-a-fruit-is-worms-will-seek-it-out/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Countries like ours are full of people who have all of the material comforts they desire, yet lead lives of quiet (and at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-levin/countries-like-ours-are-full-of-people-who-have-all-of-the-material/) [Bernard Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-levin/) > [We're not necessarily the ski boat, we're the skier. There are countries like Japan and Korea and others who are the ski boat at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/we-re-not-necessarily-the-ski-boat-we-re-the-skier-there-are/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [What you need to know about North Korea is that it's not like other countries like Iran or Cuba. In those countries, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-yeon-mi/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea-is-that-it-s-not-like-other/) [Park Yeon-mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-yeon-mi/) > [My hope is that countries like Morocco will have investment to create work, so people don't have to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/my-hope-is-that-countries-like-morocco-will-have-investment-to-create/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [I think young people should travel and travel often to other countries... like I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-young-people-should-travel-and-travel-often-to-other/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“The happiest countries, like the happiest women, have no history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/the-happiest-countries-like-the-happiest-women-have-no-history/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Countries like Japan do not have to change their cultures to address their educational shortcomings; they simply have to adjust their policies and practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-angel-gurria/countries-like-japan-do-not-have-to-change-their-cultures-to-address/) [Jose Angel Gurria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-angel-gurria/) > [There was a time when only men could provide or work, and still a lot of countries are like that. But there's a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/there-was-a-time-when-only-men-could-provide-or-work-and-still-a-lot/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [Countries like Canada, Korea, China, Germany can and should use fiscal space. Some of them are doing it, not all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/countries-like-canada-korea-china-germany-can-and-should-use-fiscal/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) > [I tend to prefer traveling in the Third World countries. Like Ethiopia. Or Eritrea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/i-tend-to-prefer-traveling-in-the-third-world-countries-like-ethiopia/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [We continue to grow, and, just like with countries like China or other countries where we are not doing particularly well, we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/we-continue-to-grow-and-just-like-with-countries-like-china-or-other/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [To deal with COVID-19, countries like India, Brazil, Jordan and Thailand are cutting press freedom and freedom of expression. In nations like Israel, South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-ressa/to-deal-with-covid-19-countries-like-india-brazil-jordan-and-thailand/) [Maria Ressa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-ressa/) > [It's great to see countries like China and India lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty by essentially copying Western ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/it-s-great-to-see-countries-like-china-and-india-lifting-hundreds-of/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More by Jean Giraudoux > [Sadness flies on the wings of the morning, and out of the heart of darkness comes the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/sadness-flies-on-the-wings-of-the-morning-and-out-of-the-heart-of/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [To seek out in a world full of joy the one thing that is certain to give you pain, and hug it to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/to-seek-out-in-a-world-full-of-joy-the-one-thing-that-is-certain-to/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [When a grown man reaches forty, we change him for an old one. He has completely disappeared. There's only the most superficial resemblance between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/when-a-grown-man-reaches-forty-we-change-him-for-an-old-one-he-has/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [There is an invisible garment woven around us from our earliest years; it is made of the way we eat, the way we walk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/there-is-an-invisible-garment-woven-around-us-from-our-earliest-years/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [A wife loves out of duty, and duty leads to constraint, and constraint kills desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/a-wife-loves-out-of-duty-and-duty-leads-to-constraint-and-constraint/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [A woman is a creature who has discovered her own nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/a-woman-is-a-creature-who-has-discovered-her-own-nature/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [The brave men die in war. It takes great luck or judgment not to be killed. Once, at least, the head has to bow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/the-brave-men-die-in-war-it-takes-great-luck-or-judgment-not-to-be/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [As soon as war is declared it will be impossible to hold the poets back. Rhyme is still the most effective drum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/as-soon-as-war-is-declared-it-will-be-impossible-to-hold-the-poets/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [I don't like knowing about other people's feelings. There is nothing more embarrassing. Just as when you play cards and you see your opponent's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/i-don-t-like-knowing-about-other-people-s-feelings-there-is-nothing/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [I'm not afraid of death. It's the stake one puts up in order to play the game of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/i-m-not-afraid-of-death-it-s-the-stake-one-puts-up-in-order-to-play/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [Ask any soldier. To kill a man is to merit a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/ask-any-soldier-to-kill-a-man-is-to-merit-a-woman/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [I believe in the gods; or rather I believe that I believe in the gods. But I don't believe that they are great brooding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/i-believe-in-the-gods-or-rather-i-believe-that-i-believe-in-the-gods/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [Men don't deceive their wives unless they love them. When they love them most, they deceive them. It's a form of fidelity, their deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/men-don-t-deceive-their-wives-unless-they-love-them-when-they-love/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [Oh God, if you want women to never again raise their voices, then create an adult man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/oh-god-if-you-want-women-to-never-again-raise-their-voices-then/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) > [Close your eyes, all you see is yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/close-your-eyes-all-you-see-is-yours/) [Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) [Explore all 83 Jean Giraudoux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/) ## More Corruption quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [In the lead up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-zinni/in-the-lead-up-to-the-iraq-war-and-its-later-conduct-i-saw-at-a/) [Anthony Zinni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-zinni/) > [“Don't let cycles of violent crimes, uncontrollable, rising cases of bloody impunity, evil puppets in a crippled judiciary, marionettes in a corrupted legislative system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/don-t-let-cycles-of-violent-crimes-uncontrollable-rising-cases-of/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [What greater weakness can there be than not to know what is the source of one's being, of one's life, of one's senses, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/what-greater-weakness-can-there-be-than-not-to-know-what-is-the/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [As you fight corruption, it fights back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/as-you-fight-corruption-it-fights-back/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [ Corruption could lead to the collapse of the Party \[Communist Party of China\] and the downfall of the state \[People's Republic of China\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-jinping/corruption-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-party-communist-party-of/) [Xi Jinping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-jinping/) > [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) > [It looked incredibly credible!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-horlick/it-looked-incredibly-credible/) [Nicola Horlick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-horlick/) > [All power corrupts but some must govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/all-power-corrupts-but-some-must-govern/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) [Browse all 2,253 Corruption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Giraudoux" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-always-inside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Corruption" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-always-inside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/jean-giraudoux-7998_corruption_countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-a_2794391.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Countries are like fruit-the worms are always inside.” — Jean Giraudoux", "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": "Jean Giraudoux", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Countries are like fruit-the worms are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-always-inside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/countries-are-like-fruit-the-worms-are-always-inside/#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 } } ] } ```