Cease to exist Quote by Mohsin Hamid
““Perhaps they had decided they did not have it in them to do what would have needed to be done, to corral and bloody and where necessary slaughter the migrants, and had determined that some other way would have to be found. Perhaps they had grasped that the doors could not be closed, and new doors would continue to open, and they had understood that the denial of coexistence would have required one party to cease to exist, and the extinguishing party too would have been transformed in the process, and too many native parents would not after have been able to look their children in the eye, to speak with head held high of what their generation had done. Or perhaps the sheer number of places where there were now doors had made it useless to fight in any one.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, 2017
The passage reflects on the moral and practical impossibility of violently preventing migration, suggesting that doors (opportunities) keep opening and that violent attempts would transform both oppressors and victims.
In simple terms: Violence cannot stop migration; new opportunities keep emerging.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the futility of force and seek humane solutions.
Themes
migration
morality
conflict
transformation
humanity
Mood
reflective
somber
hopeful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy making
- community activism
- refugee assistance
- education on migration
- peacebuilding
Key Concepts
ethical dilemmas
social change
power dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies balance security with compassion?
- What alternatives to force exist for managing migration?
A Different Perspective
Violent suppression may cause unintended harm and resistance.
![“Tags [distinctive agent features observable by other agents] almost always define the network by delimiting the critical interactions, the major connections. Tags acquire this role because the adaptive processes that modify cas [complex adaptive systems] select for tags that mediate useful…” quote by John H. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/416/john-h-holland-96591_cease-to-exist_tags-distinctive-agent-features-observab_167994.jpg)
