--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the…" description: "\"“Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A thousand tragedies per square mile.”\" — Khaled Hosseini" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png" --- # Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A… ![“Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A thousand tragedies per square mile.” quote by Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png) > ““Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A thousand tragedies per square mile.”” [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator struggles to capture the horror of conflict, implying words can be overwhelming. **In simple terms:** Words fail to fully describe tragedy. Key Takeaway Seek empathy beyond words. Themes war language trauma Mood somber thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - conflict zones - journalism - personal reflection Key Concepts communication limits human suffering Questions to Reflect On - How can we convey suffering responsibly? - What alternatives to words exist? A Different Perspective Describing suffering may oversimplify reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Kabul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kabul/) [Right words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-words/) [Tragedies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedies/) ## Related quotes > [Kabul is... a thousand tragedies per square mile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kabul-is-a-thousand-tragedies-per-square-mile/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove. The reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/winter-was-every-kid-s-favorite-season-in-kabul-at-least-those-whose/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [ “In the passenger seat, Nahil is all questions. Was Kabul safe? How was the food? Did he \[Idris\] get sick? Did he take pictures… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/in-the-passenger-seat-nahil-is-all-questions-was-kabul-safe-how-was/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I experienced Kabul with my brother the way Amir and Hassan do: long school days in the summer, kite fighting in the winter time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-experienced-kabul-with-my-brother-the-way-amir-and-hassan-do-long/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I came from an educated, upper middle-class family. My mother was a Persian and history teacher at a large high school for girls. Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-came-from-an-educated-upper-middle-class-family-my-mother-was-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [My memories of Kabul are vastly different than the way it is when I go there now. My memories are of the final years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/my-memories-of-kabul-are-vastly-different-than-the-way-it-is-when-i/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I returned to Kabul after a 27-year absence. I came away with some optimism but not as much as I had hoped for. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-returned-to-kabul-after-a-27-year-absence-i-came-away-with-some/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I know what I said earlier, but Kabul isn’t that bad.” Mrs. Wahdati toyed with her necklace absently. She was looking out the window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-know-what-i-said-earlier-but-kabul-isn-t-that-bad-mrs-wahdati-toyed/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I wanted to tell them that, in Kabul, we snapped a tree branch and used it as a credit card. Hassan and I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-wanted-to-tell-them-that-in-kabul-we-snapped-a-tree-branch-and-used/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [In Kabul, hot running water had been like fathers, a rare commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/in-kabul-hot-running-water-had-been-like-fathers-a-rare-commodity/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Afghanistan has always been sort of a fractured nation, very tribal, where the countryside and the distant provinces have been run by custom, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/afghanistan-has-always-been-sort-of-a-fractured-nation-very-tribal/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“war. Or, rather, wars. Not one, not two, but many wars, both big and small, just and unjust, wars with shifting casts of supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/war-or-rather-wars-not-one-not-two-but-many-wars-both-big-and-small/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I looked westward and marveled that, somewhere over those mountains, Kabul still existed. It really existed, not just as an old memory, or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-looked-westward-and-marveled-that-somewhere-over-those-mountains/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I believe Fabio Celoni's work vividly brings to life not only the mountains, the bazaars, the city of Kabul and its kite-dotted skies, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-believe-fabio-celoni-s-work-vividly-brings-to-life-not-only-the/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [You have extreme poverty and high crime and you have to admit that the governance of the Kabul regime has been poor and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/you-have-extreme-poverty-and-high-crime-and-you-have-to-admit-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More by Khaled Hosseini > [“Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove. The reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/winter-was-every-kid-s-favorite-season-in-kabul-at-least-those-whose/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Their fights didn’t so much end as dissipate, like a drop of ink in a bowl of water, with a residual taint that lingered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/their-fights-didn-t-so-much-end-as-dissipate-like-a-drop-of-ink-in-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of the drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/it-always-falls-on-the-sober-to-pay-for-the-sins-of-the-drunk/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/mariam-knew-that-life-for-the-most-part-had-been-unkind-to-her-but-as/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I pray. I pray that my sins have not caught up with me the way I'd always feared they would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-pray-i-pray-that-my-sins-have-not-caught-up-with-me-the-way-i-d/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [At that moment, she cannot think of a more reckless, irrational thing than choosing to become a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/at-that-moment-she-cannot-think-of-a-more-reckless-irrational-thing/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He says this is war. There is no shame in war. Tell him he's wrong. War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/he-says-this-is-war-there-is-no-shame-in-war-tell-him-he-s-wrong-war/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [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/) > [“Rahim Khan laughed. “Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/rahim-khan-laughed-children-aren-t-coloring-books-you-don-t-get-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) [Explore all 697 Khaled Hosseini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More Israel quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [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/) > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Much to the bafflement of the Allies, however, Pope Pius XII said nothing. He refused to condemn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-shahrad/hitler-invaded-poland-on-1-september-1939-much-to-the-bafflement-of/) [Cyrus Shahrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-shahrad/) > [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [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/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin [Browse all 16,724 Israel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A thousand tragedies per square mile.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Khaled Hosseini" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-words-a-thousand-tragedies-per/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Israel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-words-a-thousand-tragedies-per/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/khaled-hosseini-251_israel_kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-wo_333850.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the right words. “A thousand tragedies per square mile.” — Khaled Hosseini", "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": "Khaled Hosseini", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Kabul is . . .” Idris searches for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-words-a-thousand-tragedies-per/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/kabul-is-idris-searches-for-the-right-words-a-thousand-tragedies-per/#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 } } ] } ```