--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But whatever any of them thought one…" description: "\"“But whatever any of them thought one thing was always certain: even though they suffered and had to struggle at times to bring meaning and even the mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/nadeem-aslam-10821_justice_but-whatever-any-of-them-thought-one-thi_529242.png" --- # But whatever any of them thought one thing was always… ![“But whatever any of them thought one thing was always certain: even though they suffered and had to struggle at times to bring meaning and even the most basic dignity into their existence and even though in their search for justice and truthfulness they were beaten down and met with disappointment…” quote by Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/nadeem-aslam-10821_justice_but-whatever-any-of-them-thought-one-thi_529242.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/nadeem-aslam-10821_justice_but-whatever-any-of-them-thought-one-thi_529242.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/nadeem-aslam-10821_justice_but-whatever-any-of-them-thought-one-thi_529242.png) > ““But whatever any of them thought one thing was always certain: even though they suffered and had to struggle at times to bring meaning and even the most basic dignity into their existence and even though in their search for justice and truthfulness they were beaten down and met with disappointment again and again—their lives were not available for use as an illustration. Theirs were not stories that could be read as an affirmation of another system.”” [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories of struggle and dignity cannot be used to validate opposing systems; lived experience resists simplification. **In simple terms:** Lives of struggle resist being used as propaganda. Key Takeaway Respect individual narratives. Themes justice truth dignity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - human rights advocacy - education - media analysis Key Concepts narrative ethics social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor personal stories? - What risks arise from using narratives as evidence? A Different Perspective Simplifying complex lives can erase nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-suffered-4450361/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffered/) [Suffered Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffered-struggle-4450360/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truthfulness Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truthfulness-beaten-4450362/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Political struggle is the most important thing any of us can do as a citizen in a democracy; and that means the old joining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/political-struggle-is-the-most-important-thing-any-of-us-can-do-as-a/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [“We both suffered but neither of us stopped living our lives and we got so much out of them, so, so much. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/we-both-suffered-but-neither-of-us-stopped-living-our-lives-and-we/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [I owed Lewis one thing, at least. Once you had suffered the experience of presenting a case at one of his Monday morning conferences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/i-owed-lewis-one-thing-at-least-once-you-had-suffered-the-experience/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [“The Crucified is the One most traumatized. He has borne the World Trade Center. He has carried the Iraq war, the destruction in Syria,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-langberg/the-crucified-is-the-one-most-traumatized-he-has-borne-the-world/) [Diane Langberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-langberg/) > [“All her life, Neverfell had suffered the dull, embarrassed ache of the knowledge that she was always the maddest person in the room. 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These entrepreneurs just forget to mention these when they are doing interviews with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/you-will-find-that-every-successful-entrepreneur-has-suffered-many/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [North Korea is still my homeland, my country. I suffered on the outside because I was alien, without identity. I was nobody. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/north-korea-is-still-my-homeland-my-country-i-suffered-on-the-outside/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [Those who have suffered make the best comforters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-who-have-suffered-make-the-best-comforters/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I always wanted to make big action movies as a kid, and that was my dream. In a way, 'Swingers' was the thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-big-action-movies-as-a-kid-and-that-was-my/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [I suffered too much and I want to stop the suffering of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/i-suffered-too-much-and-i-want-to-stop-the-suffering-of-other-people/) [Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/) > [I've never really suffered complete and utter writer's block, really. I equate it with sex: in the beginning of my career, I was writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loudon-wainwright-iii/i-ve-never-really-suffered-complete-and-utter-writer-s-block-really-i/) [Loudon Wainwright III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loudon-wainwright-iii/) ## More by Nadeem Aslam > [“Only twenty - nine years in the entire human history had been without warfare, and now here he was too, travelling between the episodes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/only-twenty-nine-years-in-the-entire-human-history-had-been-without/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [The neighbourhood is a place of...intrigue and emotional espionage, where when two people stop to talk on the street their tongues are like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-neighbourhood-is-a-place-of-intrigue-and-emotional-espionage/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“If love was the result of having caught a glimpse of another's loneliness, then he had loved Mikal since they were ten years old……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/if-love-was-the-result-of-having-caught-a-glimpse-of-another-s/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“We are warriors of Allah.” “You are thugs with Korans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/we-are-warriors-of-allah-you-are-thugs-with-korans/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [Afghanistan had collapsed and everyone's life now lies broken at different levels within the rubble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/afghanistan-had-collapsed-and-everyone-s-life-now-lies-broken-at/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [This is among the few things that can be said about love with any confidence. It is small enough to be contained within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/this-is-among-the-few-things-that-can-be-said-about-love-with-any/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“If love was the result of having caught a glimpse of another's loneliness, then he had loved Mikal since they were both ten years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/if-love-was-the-result-of-having-caught-a-glimpse-of-another-s-2/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [How keen everyone is to make this world their home forgetting its impermanence It's like trying to see and name constellations in a fireworks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/how-keen-everyone-is-to-make-this-world-their-home-forgetting-its/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [On the journey towards the beloved, you live by dying at every step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/on-the-journey-towards-the-beloved-you-live-by-dying-at-every-step/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“The sky is a blue so clean it verges on joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-sky-is-a-blue-so-clean-it-verges-on-joy/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“He knows that had he been a young man himself he would not have stopped at Peshawar: he doesn’t know how he would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/he-knows-that-had-he-been-a-young-man-himself-he-would-not-have/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [A lie does not become truth just because ten people are telling it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/a-lie-does-not-become-truth-just-because-ten-people-are-telling-it/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“Basie would lie on the mattress and talk endlessly, sometimes drinking from a bottle of Murree’s whisky he’d bring with him, bought from one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/basie-would-lie-on-the-mattress-and-talk-endlessly-sometimes-drinking/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“He led her back to the house, the perfume from the acacia clinging to her. The djinn was supposed to live in the scent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/he-led-her-back-to-the-house-the-perfume-from-the-acacia-clinging-to/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“The scent of the tree's flowers can stop conversation. Rohan knows no purer source of melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-scent-of-the-tree-s-flowers-can-stop-conversation-rohan-knows-no/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) [Explore all 63 Nadeem Aslam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) ## More Justice quotes > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [“Why do so many people do nothing? I think it’s because most of us look at the evils and injustice around us, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/why-do-so-many-people-do-nothing-i-think-it-s-because-most-of-us-look/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Civilized nations are ones that simply can't endure wrongs or injustice except at home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-anderson/civilized-nations-are-ones-that-simply-can-t-endure-wrongs-or/) [Joseph Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-anderson/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) [Donald P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-p-ryan/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [At minimum, we must recognize that there are legitimate, unanswered questions about whether the Obama Justice Department involved themselves in a political project targeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/at-minimum-we-must-recognize-that-there-are-legitimate-unanswered/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [There is no freedom without justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/there-is-no-freedom-without-justice/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) [Browse all 13,527 Justice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But whatever any of them thought one thing was always certain: even though they suffered and had to struggle at times to bring meaning and even the most basic dignity into their existence and even though in their search for justice and truthfulness they were beaten down and met with disappointment again and again—their lives were not available for use as an illustration. 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